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SEYMOUR  DURST 


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AvRRY  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gii-T  OF  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


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in  2013 


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Second  City  of  tb«  Cdorld  | 


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Copyright,  i8$8,  by 

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H  Volume 
Commemorating  the  Creation  of 

Cbc 

Second  City  of  the  (Horld 

by  the 

ConsoUdatioti  of  the  Communities 
Hdjacent  to  )Vcw  York  Rarbor 
under  the  )Vew  Charter 

of  the 

City  of  )Vew  Yo^k 

JVcw  Yor^i 
Cbc  Republic  press 
1898 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Historical  Retrospect  of  the  Discovery,  Settlement  and  Growth  of 

THE  City  of  New  York   9 

The  Nine  Leading  Cities  of  the  World— Discovery  and  Settlement  of  Man- 
hattan Island— The  Dutch  Regime— The  Mayors  of  New  York — The  Directors- 
General  and  Governors  of  New  Netherlands  and  New  York— The  English  Period 
— Brooklyn  and  her  Chief  Magistrates— The  Borough  of  Queens  and  the  Mayors 
of  Long  Island  City— The  Boroughs  of  Richmond  and  the  Bronx— Recapitulation. 


CHAPTER  11. 

The  Origin  and  Development  of  the  Idea  of  Municipal  Consolidation 

AND  the  Causes  Leading  Thereto   19 

Jealousy  Between  New  York  and  Brooklyn— Brooklyn  City  Charter  Opposed 
on  Account  of  the  Manifest  Common  Destiny  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  but 
Obtained  in  1834— Municipal  Union  Proposed  and  Defeated  in  1851  and  1856 — 
The  Metropolitan  Police  Act — Andrew  H.  Green's  Influence— Considerations 
Leading  to  Consolidation — Mr.  Green's  Historic  Communication  of  1868 — The 
Municipal  Union  Society  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn  and  the  County  of  Kings,  in 
1874— Opposition  in  New  York— Annexation  on  the  North— Bill  for  an  Inquiry 
Commission  Lost  in  1889,  but  passed  in  1890 — The  Inquiry  Commission  and  its 
Operations— Consolidation  Bill  Defeated  in  1891— Referendum  Bill  Defeated  in 
1892  and  Again  in  1893,  but  Passed  in  1894 — The  Consolidation  League  of 
Brooklyn— Consolidation  Indorsed  at  the  Polls  in  November,  1894— The  League 
of  Loyal  Citizens— Bill  for  the  Drafting  of  a  Charter  by  the  Inquiry  Commis- 
sion Defeated  in  1895 — Legislative  Inquiry  Committee  in  1896  Hears  Pros  and 
Cons  and  Recommends  Consolidation— Consolidation  Act  Becomes  a  Law  in 
1896. 


CHAPTER  III. 

History  of  the  Framing  and  Adoption  of  the  New  City  Charter  and  a 

RfisuME  of  its  Provisions   127 

Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission— Informal  Conference  at  Governor 
Morton's — Organized  June  25,  1896— Sub-Committee  on  Draft— Tentative  Draft 
and  Public  Hearings— Divergencies  of  Opinion  and  Mutual  Concessions  in  the 
Commission — Charter  Reported  to  the  Legislature  February  18,  1897 ;  passed 
March  33-25  ;  Vetoed  by  Mayor  Strong ;  Passed  over  the  Veto  and  Signed  by 
the  Governor  May  4,  1897— A  Review  of  the  Charter. 


vi 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PAGE 

The  Passing  of  the  Old  Regime  and  the  Inauguration  of  the  Second 

City  of  the  World  ,   166 

Celebrations  on  New  Year's  Eve,  December  31,  1897,  in  Manhattan,  Brooklyn 
and  Queens— Installation  of  Mayor  Van  Wyck  and  the  New  Administration, 
January  1,  1898— The  Vote  by  which  the  New  Mayor  was  Elected— Biographical 
Sketches  of  the  Chief  Magistrate  and  Other  Leading  Officials  in  the  Greater 
City  of  New  York. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Judicial  System  of  New  York,  with  Some  Account  of  the  Metro- 
politan Bar   192 

Two  Streams  of  Influence  in  the  Legal  System  of  New  York— Methods  in 
Vogue  During  the  Dutch  Period — A  Mild  Form  of  Feudalism— Schout,  Burgo- 
masters and  Schepens— The  Court  of  Burgomasters  and  Schepens,  Mayor's 
Court  and  Court  of  Common  Pleas— Proprietary  Government  of  the  Duke  of 
York — The  Duke's  Laws — New  Courts  Established — Legislative  and  Judicial 
Functions  of  the  Court  of  Assizes— Ducal  Proprietorship  Abolished— Judicial 
Establishment  Remodeled  in  1691— Eighteenth  Century  Growth— The  American 
Revolution— Corporate  Existence  of  New  York— Courts  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury— Courts  of  the  City  To-Day — The  First  Lawyer — Leading  Legal  Lights  of 
the  Past— The  Present  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Origin  and  Development  of  Mercantile  Accounting  as  a  Degreed 

Profession  in  New  York   337 

Bookkeeping  of  the  Ancients— Altered  Conditions  of  Modern  Times— Vast 
Commercial  Progress  of  the  United  States  and  What  it  Involves— Institute  of 
Chartered  Accountants  of  England  and  Wales— American  Association  of  Public 
Accountants— The  New  York  School  of  Accounts— The  Law  of  1896  Creating 
the  Degree  of  "Certified  Public  Accountant  "—National  Society  of  Certified 
Public  Accountants — The  Institute  of  Accounts — New  York  State  Society  of 
Certified  Public  Accountants — General  Observations  on  the  New  Profession, 
with  Biographical  Notices  of  Some  of  its  Members. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Practice  of  Medicine  in  New  York  and  the  Rise  of  the  New 

School   366 

High  Degree  of  Development  of  Medical  Science  in  America— Its  Humble 
Beginnings  270  Years  Ago— Diversified  Occupations  of  the  Early  Physician- 
Crude  and  Elementary  Character  of  Primitive  Practice— Spirit  of  Scientific 
Inquiry  Awakened — Auspicious  Opening  of  the  Nineteenth  Century — The 
Introduction  of  Homeopathy  in  1825— Vicissitudes  of  the  Early  Disciples  of 
Hahnemann — Pioneers  of  the  New  School  of  Medicine— Growth  of  Homeopathy 
—Homeopathic  Institutions  in  Manhattan  Borough — Advent  of  Homeopathy 
in  Brooklyn  in  1840 — Persecution  of  Medical  "Heretics"  did  not  Prevent  their 
Multiplication — Homeopathic  Institutions  of  Brooklyn — Prominent  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  the  New  School  in  the  Greater  City  of  New  York. 

Index  of  all  Individual  Names  Appearing  in  this  Volume    415 


INTRODUCTION. 


ON  January  1,  1898,  the  cities,  towns  and  villages,  upon  and  clustering 
about  the  Island  of  Manhattan,  were  united  into  one  municipality, 
under  the  historic  title  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  this  vast  com- 
munity became  in  name  and  effect,  as  for  years  it  had  been  in  fact,  the  Second 
City  of  the  World. 

When,  in  the  race  for  municipal  premiership,  New  York,  with  her  3,500,- 
000  inhabitants,  world-wide  commerce,  great  intellectual  resources,  high  social 
refinement,  splendid  architectural  development,  and  commanding  position  as 
the  financial  center  of  the  New  World,  passes  in  rank  the  city  of  Paris,  and 
yields  the  palm  of  precedence  only  to  the  ancient  city  of  London,  the  incident 
not  only  signalizes  the  growth  of  the  city,  but  assumes  a  character  of  inter- 
national significance.  An  event  so  remarkable  in  its  antecedents  and  far- 
reaching  in  its  consequences,  so  grand  in  its  magnitude  and  extraordinary  in 
the  manner  of  its  accomplishment,  has  no  parallel  in  municipal  history ;  and 
both  justice  to  the  present  and  duty  to  the  future  generations  demand  that  the 
more  important  facts  of  this  historic  achievement  be  recorded.  The  greatness 
of  New  York  is  partly  the  product  of  natural  forces  and  conditions ;  but  it  is 
pre-eminently  the  creation  of  the  leaders  of  action  of  the  past  and  present 
generations,  who,  at  each  stage  of  her  career,  have  possessed  the  sagacity  to 
discover,  and  the  energy  to  utilize,  opportunity  for  the  benefit  of  their  fellow- 
men  ;  and  it  is  chiefly  to  record  in  some  suitable  manner  the  labors  of  those 
creative  and  executive  minds  in  the  living  generation  that  the  following  pages 
are  written. 

New  York  City,  August  1,  1898. 

The  Publishers. 


"  UNION.  NOW  AND  FOREVER.  ONE  AND  INSEPARABLE."— TTebj^cr. 


"  SHE  IS  A  MART  OF  NATIONS  .  .  .  THE  CROWNING  CITY,  WHOSE  MERCHANTS  ARE 
PRINCES.  WHOSE  TRAFFICKERS  ARE  THE  HONORABLE  OF  THE  EARTH. "-isaia/i. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT  OF  THE  DISCOVERT,  SETTLEMENT  AND  GROWTH  OF 
THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

THERE  are  but  nine  cities  in  the  world  witli  a  population  of  over  1,000,- 
000  inhabitants,  namely :  London,  New  York,  Paris,  Berlin,  Canton, 
Chicago,  Vienna,  Tokio  and  Philadelphia,  ranking  in  the  order  named. 
Five  of  them — London,  Canton,  Berlin,  Tokio  and  Vienna — are  the  capitals  of 
ancient  empires,  proud,  warlike  and  imposing.  One,  the  City  of  Paris,  was  long 
under  monarchical  rule.  The  other  three,  however,  are  situated  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  the  land  of  free  institutions,  whose  progress  has  amazed 
the  feudal  empires  of  the  earth.  London,  with  the  advantage  of  her  cis-At- 
lantic  situation  3,700  miles  nearer  the  seat  of  original  civilization  than  New 
York,  has  been  nearly  nineteen  centuries  attaining  her  leadership  with  a  pop- 
ulation of  4, 500, 000 ;  but  so  great  have  been  the  strides  of  New  York,  now 
pressing  on  her  heels,  that  fifty  years  hence,  if  both  cities  maintain  their 
present  rates  of  progress,  the  primacy  will  cross  the  ocean  and  the  Metropolis 
of  the  New  World  will  hold  the  trophy  of  victory.  The  City  of  Paris, 
founded  before  the  Christian  era,  now,  at  the  end  of  nineteen  hundred  years 
of  growth,  lapses  into  third  place,  with  a  polulation  of  2,500,000.  Berlin, 
whose  trustworthy  history  begins  A.  D.  1237,  at  the  age  of  six  hundred  and 
sixty  years,  ranks  fourth,  with  a  family  of  1,700,000.  Canton,  whose  origin 
is  buried  in  the  obscurity  of  antiquity,  ranks  fifth,  with  an  estimated  popula- 
tion of  1,600,000.  Onr  young  American  city  of  Chicago,  not  yet  one  hun- 
dred years  old,  occupies  the  highly  creditable  position  of  sixth,  with  a  popu- 
lation of  1,500,000.  Vienna  has  required  about  nineteen  centuries  to  earn 
seventh  place,  with  1,375,000  inhabitants.  Tokio  has  taken  at  least  seven 
hundred  years  to  develop  the  popiilation  of  1,250,000,  which  gives  her  eighth 
place.  And  Philadelphia,  which  was  once  the  leading  city  of  America,  ranks 
at  the  end  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  years,  the  ninth  city  of  the  world  and 
the  third  in  America,  with  a  population  of  1,150,000. 

Only  two  hundred  and  seventy  years  ago,  when  all  but  the  three  American 


10 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


cities  above  named  were  hoary  with  age,  the  site  of  New  York  City  was  a 
primeval  wilderness.  In  less  than  two  and  three-quarter  centuries,  the  lair 
of  the  wild  beast  has  been  transformed  into  the  seat  of  a  high  civilization.  A 
feeble  tribe  of  dusky  savages  has  been  supplanted  by  a  mighty  people. 
Where  the  fragile  canoes  of  the  forest's  children  were  moored  upon  the  beach, 
titanic  ocean  steamships  are  tethered ;  and  in  place  of  the  little  clusters  of 
bearskin  wigwams  soar  the  thirty-story  edifices  that  crown  the  work  of 
modern  architectural  science.  The  limitations  of  the  period  of  human  life, 
which  permit  the  individual  himself  to  observe  but  a  small  portion  of  any 
great  historical  movement,  render  it  impossible,  without  assiduous  study  of 
the  past  and  the  exercise  of  a  lively  imagination,  to  comprehend  the  magni- 
tude of  this  magical  change,  whose  results  stand  to-day  an  unparalleled  monu- 
ment to  the  genius  of  the  people  by  whom  it  was  accomplished. 

The  growth  of  New  York  City,  embraced  as  it  is,  wholly  within  the  bounds 
of  authentic  history,  must  for  that  reason,  as  well  as  for  many  others,  always 
serve  as  the  subject  of  profound  study  by  those  cities  of  the  Old  World  whose 
origin  is  lost  in  obscurity,  and  whose  growth,  extending  over  many  centuries, 
has  been  the  result  of  the  passive  accretions  of  time  rather  than  of  active  and 
intentional  direction.  With  especial  interest  must  we  be  regarded  by  Italy 
and  France,  Portugal  and  Spain,  England  and  Holland — the  countries  which 
gave  birth  and  encouragement  respectively  to  those  early  plowmen  of  seas  who 
first  furrowed  the  waters  of  our  bay  and  opened  the  channel  for  subsequent 
history. 

New  York  does  not  enjoy  the  prestige  of  being  the  oldest  city  in  the  United 
States.  That  distinction  belongs  to  St.  Augustine,  by  a  priority  of  some  sixty 
years.  Nor  was  it  until  several  years  after  the  settling  of  Jamestown,  Va. ,  in 
1607,  that  any  definite  attempt  was  made  to  settle  in  this  vicinity.  On  Sep- 
tember 2,  1609,  Henry  Hudson,  an  Englishman  in  the  employ  of  the  Dutch, 
first  came  in  sight  of  Staten  Island,  the  southernmost  point  of  the  present  city 
of  New  York.  On  the  12th  he  proceeded  through  the  Narrows  into  the  upper 
bay  and  first  gazed  upon  the  queenly  Island  of  Manhattan.  After  spending 
three  weeks  in  a  vain  search  up  the  Hudson  for  a  passage  to  Cathay,  he 
returned  to  the  Old  World.  During  the  next  ten  years  no  organized  effort  at 
settlement  was  made,  although  the  advantages  of  the  region  for  trading  pur- 
poses were  not  neglected.  It  was  in  connection  with  this  transitory  inter- 
course, that  the  name  New  Netherlands  was  first  officially  applied  to  this 
region,  in  a  traffic  charter  issued  to  a  company  of  merchants  and  shippers 
under  date  of  October  11,  1614.  In  1620,  the  Mayflower,  with  its  precious 
human  burden,  set  out  for  the  Hudson  Eiver,  but,  either  by  design  or  accident 
was  diverted  from  its  intended  course  and  landed  at  Plymouth,  Mass.  Thus 
the  permanent  planting  of  civilization  within  the  territory  of  the  present 
State  of  New  York  was  further  deferred  for  a  few  years,  and  even  then  it  was 
destined  to  take  place  in  the  more  remote  soil  of  the  present  city  of  Albany. 


The  Settlement  of  Manhattan  Island. 


11 


In  1623  thirty  families  of  Protestant  Walloons  were  conveyed  to  this 
country  in  the  ship  New  Netherland  and  most  of  them  settled  150  miles 
up  the  Hudson  at  a  place  which  they  named  Fort  Orange.  A  few  men 
were  left  on  Manhattan  Island,  but  if  they  remained  there,  they  constituted 
only  a  traders'  settlement.  For  two  or  three  years,  these  settlers  lived  nomi- 
nally under  the  administration  first  of  Director  May  and  then  of  Director 
Verhulst,  but  as  those  worthies  appear  to  have  confined  their  activities  chiefly 
to  the  settlements  on  the  Delaware,  there  may  be  said  to  have  been  no  govern- 
ment here  at  all. 

In  May,  1626,  however,  occurred  two  momentous  events  in  the  history  of 
the  City  and  State.  On  the  fourth  of  that  month,  Peter  Minuit,  the  first 
Director-General  of  New  Netherland,  arrived  at  Manhattan  Island  with  the 
necessary  officers  for  a  fully  equipped  government,  and  from  that  date  the 
Colonial  history  of  the  State  of  New  York  begins.  (By  one  of  those  striking 
coincidences  of  chronology,  so  marked  as  to  seem  almost  Providentially 
ordered,  it  was  on  the  same  day  of  the  month  in  the  year  1897,  that  the  new 
charter  of  the  Greater  New  York  became  a  law. )  Two  days  later,  on  May  6, 
1626  (according  to  Mrs.  Lamb's  "History  of  the  City  of  New  York"),  occurred 
"one  of  the  most  interesting  business  transactions  which  has  ever  occurred  in 
the  world's  history. "  It  was  the  purchase  of  Manhattan  Island  from  the 
wild  men  for  a  quantity  of  beads  and  baubles  valued  at  sixty  guilders  (about 
twenty-four  dollars).  Of  this  remarkable  transaction,  celebrated  alike  in  his- 
tory and  painting,  indisputable  documentary  evidence  exists  in  the  so-called 
Schaghen  letter,  which  now  reposes  in  the  archives  of  the  Kingdom  of  the 
Netherlands. 

Upon  land  thus  honorably  and  peaceably  acquired,  was  founded,  under  the 
name  of  New  Amsterdam,  the  City  which  is  destined,  fifty  years  hence,  to 
become  the  greatest  that  the  world  has  known.  The  Dutch  regimS  was  short- 
lived, but  was  long  enough  to  infuse  into  the  social  and  political  structure 
some  of  the  elements  which  have  contributed  most  powerfully  to  its  substan- 
tial development.  Minuit's  Director-Generalship  lasted  till  1633,  by  which 
time  the  English  were  claiming  proprietorship  in  the  Island  by  right  of  Ca- 
bot's discoveries.  Then  followed  the  administrations  of  Wouter  Van  Twiller, 
1633-1637 ;  William  Kieft,  1637-1646,  and  Peter  Stuyvesant,  1646-1664,  in 
the  latter  of  which  we  find  the  little  City  reaching  out,  and  in  1658  resolving  to 
settle  New  Harlem  "for  the  promotion  of  agriculture,  and  as  a  place  of  amuse- 
ment for  the  citizens  of  New  Amsterdam."  In  August,  1664,  Dutch  authority 
was  abruptly  terminated  by  the  appearance  of  an  English  fleet,  and  on  the  29th 
of  that  month,  Kichard  Nicolls,  by  right  of  conquest,  became  the  first  English 
Governor  of  the  City  and  Province,  which  were  named  New  York,  in  honor  of 
James,  the  Duke  of  York.  New  York  was  already  a  cosmopolitan  City, 
eighteen  languages  being  spoken  at  that  time.  On  June  12,  1665,  Governor 
Nicolls  ordained  that  "all  the  inhabitants  of  New  York,  New  Harlem  and  the 


12 


New  York:  Hie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Island  of  Manhattan  are  one  body  politic  under  tlie  government  of  a  Mayor, 
Alderman  and  Sheriff, ' '  and  appointed  Thomas  Willett  to  head  the  illustrious 
list  of  chief  magistrates,  of  which  Mayor  Yan  Wyck,  a  gentleman  of  Dutch 
ancestry,  is  last. 


MAYORS  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Mayor.  Term. 

1—  Thomas  Willet  1665 

2—  Thomas  Delavall  1666 

8— Thomas  Willet  1667 

4—  Cornelius  Steenwyck  1668-1670 

5—  Thomas  Delavall  1671 

6—  Mathias  Nicolls  1672 

7—  John  Lawrence    1673 

8—  William  Darvall  1675 

9—  Nicholas  de  Meyer  1676 

10—  S.  Van  Cortlandt  1677 

11—  Thomas  Delavall  1678 

12—  Francis  Rombouts  1679 

13_William  Dyer  1680-1681 

14—  Cornelius  Steenwyck  1682-1683 

15—  Gabriel  Minvielle  1684 

16—  Nicholas  Bayard  1685 

17—  S.  Van  Cortlandt  1686-1687 

18—  Peter  de  la  Noy  1689-1690 

19 —  John  Lawrence  1691 

20—  Abraham  de  Peyster  1692-1695 

21—  William  Merritt  1695-1698 

22—  Johannes  de  Peyster  1698-1699 

23—  David  Provost  1699-1700 

24—  Isaac  de  Riemer  1700-1701 

25—  Thomas  Noell  1701  -1 702 

26—  Philip  French  1702-1703 

27—  William  Peartree  ,  1703-1707 

28—  Ebenezer  Wilson  1707-1710 

29—  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt  1710-1711 

30—  Caleb  Heathcote  1711-1714 

31—  John  Johnson  1714-1719 

32—  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt  1719-1720 

33—  Robert  Walters  1720-1725 

34—  Johannes  Jansen  1725-1726 

35—  Robert  Lurting  1726-1735 

36—  Paul  Richards  1735-1739 

37—  John  Cruger  1739-1744 

38—  Stephen  Bayard  1744-1747 

39—  Edward  Holland  1747-1757 

40—  John  Cruger  1757-1766 

41—  Whitehead  Hicks  1766-1776 

42—  David  Matthews,  tory  1776-1784 

43—  James  Duane  1784-1789 

44—  Richard  Varick  1789-1801 

45—  Edward  Livingston  1801-1803 

46—  De  Witt  Clinton  1803-1807 


Mayor. 

47—  Marin  us  Willett.. 

48—  De  Witt  Clinton.. 

49—  Jacob  RadclifE.... 


Term. 

 1807-1808 

 1808-1810 

 1810-1811 

50—  De  Witt  Clinton  1811-1815 

51 —  John  Ferguson  1815 

52—  Jacob  Radclifl  1815-1818 

53—  Cadwallader  D.  Colden  1818-1821 

54—  Stephen  Allen  1821-1824 

55_William  Paulding  1825-1826 

56—  Philip  Hone  1826-1827 

57—  William  Paulding  1827-1829 

58—  Walter  Bowne  1829-1838 

59—  Gideon  Lee  1833-1834 

60—  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence  1834  1837 

61—  Aaron  Clark  1837-1839 

62—  Isaac  L.  Varian  1839-1841 

63—  Robert  H.  Morris  1841-1844 

64—  James  Harper  1844-1845 

65—  William  F.  Havemeyer  1845-1846 

66—  Andrew  H.  Mickle  1846-1847 

67—  WilUam  V.  Brady  1847-1848 

68—  William  F.  Havemeyer  1848-1849 

69—  Caleb  S.  Woodhull  1849-1851 

70—  Ambrose  C.  Kingsland  1851-1853 

71—  Jacob  A.  Westervelt  1853-1855 

72—  Fernando  Wood  1855-1858 

73—  Daniel  F.  Tiemann*  1858-1860 

74—  Fernando  Wood  1860-1862 

75_George  Opdyke  1862-1864 

76—  C.  Godfrey  Gunther  1864-1866 

77—  John  T.  Hoffman  1866-1868 

78—  T.  Coman  (Acting)  1868 

79—  A.  Oakey  Hall*  1869-1872 

80—  William  F.  Havemeyer  1873-1874 

81—  S.  B.  H.  Vance  (Acting)  1874 

82—  William  H.  Wickham  1875-1876 

83—  Smith  Ely*  1877-1878 

84—  Edward  Cooper*  1879-1880 

85—  William  R.  Grace*  1881-1882 

86—  Franklin  Edson*  1883-1884 

87—  William  R.  Grace*  1885-1886 

88—  Abram  S.  Hewitt*   1887-1888 

89—  Hugh  J.  Grant*  1889-1892 

90—  Thomas  F.  Gilroy*  1893-1894 

91_William  L.  Strong*    1895-1897 

92— Robert  A.  Van  Wyck*  1898 


♦  Living,  January  1, 1898. 


Chief  Magistrates  of  City  and  State. 


13 


DIRECTORS-GENERAL,  GOVERNORS,  AND  ACTING  (iOVERNORS  OF  NEW  NETHER- 
LAND  AND  NEW  YORK. 

UP  TO  THE  ACHIEVEMENT  OF  AMERICAN  INDEPENDENCE. 


DUTCH.  Inducted. 

Peter  Minuit  1626 

Wouter  Van  Twiller  1633 

William  Kieft  1638 

Peter  Stuyvesant  1647 

ENGLISH. 

Richard  Nicolls  1664 

Francis  Lovelace  1668 

DUTCH. 

Admirals  Evertzen  and  Binckes  1673 

Anthony  Colve  1673 

ENGLISH. 

Sir  Edmund  Andross  1674 

Anthony  Brockholls  1680 

Thomas  Dongan  1682 

Sir  Edmund  Andross  July,  1688 

Francis  Nicholson  October,  1688 

Jacob  Leisler   1689 

Henry  Sloughter  March,  1691 

Richard  Ingoldsby  July,  1691 

Benj.  Fletcher  1692 

Earl  of  Bellomont  1698 

John  Nanfan  1701 


ENGLISH.  Inducted. 

Lord  Cornbury  1702 

Lord  Lovelace  1708 

Robt.  Hunter  1710 

Peter  Schuyler  1719 

William  Burnet  1720 

John  Montgomery  1728 

Rip  Van  Dam  1731 

William  Cosby  1733 

George  Clarke  1736 

George  Clinton  1743 

Sir  Dan  vers  Osborn   Oct.  10,  1753 

Sir  Charles  Hardy  Oct.  12,  1753 

Robert  Monckton  Oct.  26,  1761 

CadwalladerColden  Nov.  15,  1761 

Robert  Monckton  1762 

Cadwallader  Colden  1763 

Sir  Henry  Moore  1765 

Cadwallader  Colden   1769 

Earl  of  Dunmore  1770 

Sir  William  Tryon  1771 

Cadwallader  Colden  1774 

Sir  William  Tryon  1775 


Although  after  the  achievement  of  American  Independence,  gubernatorial 
influence  upon  the  development  of  New  York  City  was  less  marked,  we  append, 
as  a  matter  of  record,  a  list  of  the 

GOVERNORS  AND  ACTING  GOVERNORS  OF  NEW  YORK  STATE. 

AFTER  THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

Elected. 

Washington  Hunt,  whig  1850 

Horatio  Seymour,  dem  1852 

Myron  H.  Clark,  rep  1854 

John  A.  King,  rep  1856 

Edwin  D.  Morgan,  rep  1858 

Horatio  Seymour,  dem  1863 

Reuben  E.  Fenton,  rep  1864 

John  T.  Hoffman,  dem  1868 

John  Adams  Dix,  rep  1872 

Samuel  J.  Tilden,  dem  1874 

Lucius  Robinson,  dem  1877 

Alonzo  B.  Cornell,*  rep  1879 

Grover  Cleveland,*  dem  1882 

David  B.  Hill,*  dem  1885 

Roswell  P.  Flower,*  dem  1891 

Levi  P.  Morton,*  rep  1894 

Frank  S.  Black,*  rep  1896 

*  Living,  January  1,  1898. 


Elected. 

George  Clinton  1777 

John  Jay,  fed    1795 

George  Clinton,  rep   1801 

Morgan  Lewis  1804 

Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  rep  1807 

John  Taylor,  pro  tern  1817 

De  Witt  Clinton,  dem  1817 

Joseph  C.  Yates,  rep.  1822 

De  Witt  Clinton,  dem   1825 

Nathaniel  Pitcher,  dem  1828 

Martin  Van  Buren,  dem  1828 

Enos  T.  Throop,  dem   1829 

William  L.  Marcy,  dem  1830 

William  H.  Seward,  whig  1838 

William  C.  Bouck,  dem  1842 

Silas  Wright,  dem  1844 

John  Young,  whig  1846 

Hamilton  Fish,  whig  1848 


In  1668  Nicolls  was  succeeded  by  Sir  Francis  Lovelace,  but  on  July  30, 
1673,  was  forcibly  relieved  by  the  Dutch,  who  sailed  into  the  harbor  to  re-. 


U  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


possess  their  "own. "  Admirals  Evertzen  and  Binckes  assumed  temporary 
authority  until  Anthony  Colve  was  made  Governor ;  New  York  became  New^ 
Amsterdam  again ;  and  the  old  form  of  government  was  restored  for  a  brief 
period.  On  November  10,  1674,  the  City  was  restored  to  the  English,  with 
Sir  Edmund  Andross  for  Governor,  and  again  and  for  all  time  became  the 
City  of  New  York.  During  the  ensuing  110  years  of  English  dominion, 
while  the  Mayoralty  changes  thirty-five  times,  the  Governorship  had  thirty- 
one  incumbents,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  list : 

The  period  of  English  dominion  was  marked  by  several  distinctively  pro- 
gressive steps,  one  of  which  was  the  meeting  on  October  17,  1683,  of  the  first 
representative  legislative  assembly  of  the  people  of  New  York ;  and  another 
the  signing  on  April  27,  1686,  of  the  Dongan  Charter,  drafted  by  Mayor 
Nicholas  Bayard  and  Kecorder  James  Graham,  one  of  the  most  liberal  char- 
ters ever  acquired  by  a  colonial  city.  In  1730,  George  II.  granted  the 
Montgomery  Charter,  which  remained  operative  during  the  continuance  of 
English  i^ossession.  The  changes  made  after  the  Eevolution  will  be  referred 
to  in  connection  with  the  charter  of  the  greater  City,  which  was  approved 
May  4,  1897. 

Meanwhile,  the  territory  surrounding  Manhattan  Island  was  receiving  its 
accessions  of  population  and  municipal  privileges.  The  Borough  of  Brooklyn 
was  settled  by  the  Dutch  almost  simultaneously  with  Manhattan.  It  is  prob- 
able that  when  the  Walloon  families  settled  at  Fort  Orange  in  1623  and  a  few 
on  Manhattan  Island,  some  took  up  their  abode  across  the  East  Eiver  at  the 
place  now  called  the  Wallabout,  from  the  Dutch  "Waelenbogt, "  meaning 
"Walloon  Bay.  There  was  born  on  June  6,  1625,  Sarah  de  Eapalje,  the  first 
female  child  of  European  parents  within  the  bounds  of  New  Netherland. 
On  November  26,  1646,  Breuckelen  (Brooklyn),  was  granted  municipal  privi- 
leges, that  is,  the  people  were  allowed  to  elect  two  Schepens  with  full  judicial 
powers,  and  a  Schout  who  should  be  subordinate  to  the  Sherifi"  at  New  Am- 
sterdam. Thus  we  find  that  the  recent  consolidation  of  Brooklyn  with  Man- 
hattan is  but  the  reunion  of  a  tie  formed  in  the  earliest  history  of  the  two 
communities.  Brooklyn  received  a  Dutch  charter  in  1653,  and  an  English 
charter  in  1665.  This  latter  grant  continued  in  force  throughout  the  colonial 
and  revolutionary  period.  In  1661  Director-General  Stuyvesant  granted 
charters  to  five  Long  Island  villages,  and  so  the  population  continued  to  spread 
and  grow  until  Brooklyn  and  her  environs  had  a  population  of  5, 000  at  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  of  1,180,000  at  the  time  of  the  recent  con- 
solidation. The  most  dramatic  historical  occurrence  within  the  territory  of 
Brooklyn  was  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  August  27,  1776,  when  the  Ameri- 
cans, after  a  long  and  brave  struggle,  saved  themselves  from  annihilation  by 
retreating  under  cover  of  night  to  Manhattan  Island.  Like  New  York, 
Brooklyn  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  British  until  the  close  of  the  war  and 
suffered  severely,  but  the  place  recovered  quickly  after  peace  was  declared, 


Historical  Revieio  of  the  Boroughs. 


15 


and  in  1811  boasted  of  a  population  of  4,402.  Communication  between  New 
York  and  Brooklyn  was  conducted  by  primitive  means  until  May,  1814,  when 
the  first  steam  ferryboat  began  to  make  regular  trips;  and  while  steam 
ferries  multiplied  as  time  advanced,  it  was  not  until  May,  1883,  that  the  first, 
and  at  this  writing  only,  bridge  was  opened  between  the  two  Cities.  The 
preliminary  work  for  a  second  bridge  across  the  East  Kiver  is  now  in  progress. 

In  1816  Brooklyn  was  incorporated  as  a  Village,  and  soon  was  knocking 
at  the  door  of  the  Capitol  for  a  City  Charter.  The  opposition  to  the  granting 
of  this  Charter,  on  the  ground  that  Brooklyn  properly  belonged  to  New  York, 
is  alluded  to  more  at  length  hereafter.  This  opposition  was  overcome,  however, 
and  in  1834  the  Village  secured  the  coveted  privileges  and  became  a  City  with 
George  Hall  as  first  mayor.  Since  its  incorporation  it  has  had  the  following 
chief  magistrates. 

MAYORS  OF  BROOKLYN. 


George  Hall  1834 

Jonathan  Trotter  1835-1836 

Jeremiah  Johnson  1837-1838 

Cyrus  P.  Smith  1839-18-11 

Henry  C.  Murphy  1842 

Joseph  Sprague  1843-1844 

Thomas  C.  Talmage  1845 

Francis  B.  Stryker  1846-1848 

Edward  Copeland  1849 

Samuel  Smith  1850 

Conklin  Brush  1851-1853 

Edward  A.  Lambert  1853-1854 

George  Hall   1855-1856 

Samuel  S.  Powell  1857-1860 


Martin  Kalbfleisch  1861-1863 

Alfred  M.  Wood   1864-1865 

Samuel  Booth  1866-1867 

Martin  Kalbfleisch  1868-1871 

Samuel  S.  Powell  1873-1873 

John  W.  Hunter»  1874-1875 

Frederick  A.  Schroeder*  1876  1877 

James  Howell  1878-1881 

Seth  Low*  1882-1885 

Daniel  D.  Whitney*  1886-1887 

Alfred  C.  Chapin*  1888-1891 

David  A.  Boody*  1893-1893 

Charles  A.  Schieren*  1894-1895 

Frederick  W.  Wurster*  1896-1897 


♦Living,  January  1,  1898. 

In  1840  Brooklyn  covered  twelve  square  miles  and  had  a  population  of  30,- 
000,  and  fifteen  years  later  absorbed  the  City  of  "Williamsburg,  which  had  had 
a  separate  existence  for  three  years.  The  town  of  Bushwick  was  annexed  at 
the  same  time.  The  towns  of  Flatbush  and  Gravesend  were  annexed  in  May, 
1894,  New  Utrecht  on  July  1,  1894,  and  Flatlands  on  January  1,  1896,  so 
that  the  City  was  then  co-terminous  with  King's  County.  At  the  time  of 
its  consolidation  with  New  York  the  City  was  second  in  size  in  the  State  and 
fourth  in  the  United  States,  having  an  area  of  46,080  acres,  and  a  population 
of  1,180,000.  It  casts  200,000  votes,  and  sends  twenty -one  Members  of  As- 
sembly and  seven  Senators  to  the  Legislature  at  Albany,  and  five  Members  of 
Congress  to  Washington.  As  a  Borough  it  sends  to  the  Municipal  Assembly 
nine  Councilmen  and  twenty-one  Aldermen.  It  has  1,503  miles  of  streets. 
The  assessed  value  of  its  real  estate  is  $555,310,997,  and  of  its  personal 
property  $27,536,636.  Its  debt  is  $57,000,000,  and  its  annual  budget  $15,- 
000,000.  Brooklyn  was  popularly  known  as  the  "City  of  Churches."  It 
has  been  more  distinctively  a  city  of  homes  than  New  York.    Its  population 


16 


Neiv  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


is  more  homogeneous  than  that  of  Manhattan  Island,  and  contains  a  large 
proportion  of  iDeople  of  New  England  origin  who  have  given  the  City  a  high  and 
conservative  character.  Brooklynites  have  always  boasted  of  their  social  and 
intellectual  superiority ;  but  as  the  Borough  is  a  great  dormitory  where  thou- 
sands of  men  who  find  employment  on  Manhattan  Island  sleep  and  keep  their 
families,  and  as  it  also  contains  some  extensive  and  beautiful  cemeteries,  the 
Manhattans  answer  their  boast  by  facetiously  alluding  to  Brooklyn  as  a 
pleasant  and  quiet  place  in  which  to  live,  sleep  or  be  buried.  Old  Brooklyn 
possessed  most  of  the  features  of  old  New  York  at  the  time  of  Consolidation 
— beautiful  public  parks,  monuments  and  buildings,  an  Academy  of  Music  and 
several  theatres,  public  libraries,  schools  and  institutions  of  art  and  science, 
great  department  stores,  factories,  elevated  railroads,  political  rings,  etc. — 
but  generally  on  a  smaller  scale  than  New  York.  It  has  many  attractions  as 
a  place  of  residence,  owing  to  its  greater  area,  higher  elevation,  lower  rents, 
and  other  physical,  social  and  economic  conditions. 

The  Borough  of  Queens  is  the  queenly  borough  of  the  City  in  area,  with 
her  79,347  acres,  and  she  led  to  the  municipal  nuptials  a  retinue  of  140,000 
people.  The  oldest  towns  of  the  Borough  date  back  to  the  ancient  Dutch 
regime  and  possess  the  varied  and  romantic  history  of  their  contemporaries. 
The  early  settlers  had  little  peace.  When  the  English  and  Dutch  nations 
were  not  actually  at  war,  the  Dutch  government  of  New  York  and  the  English 
government  of  New  England  were  contending  for  the  right  to  rule  the  towns 
of  what  is  now  Queens  Borough.  The  Dutch  ruled  the  western  end  of  Long 
Island  and  the  English  the  eastern  end.  Both  claimed  Queens,  the  English 
finally  taking  Oyster  Bay  and  the  Dutch  Hempstead,  Flushing,  Jamaica  and 
Newtown.  Queens  Borough  claims  as  one  of  her  historical  heirlooms  the 
fact  that  her  people  were  the  first  Americans  to  resist  unjust  taxation  by  the 
English.  In  1670  a  levy  was  made  on  them  for  money  to  repair  forts  in  New 
York,  but  the  tax  was  not  collected,  and  historians  say  of  this  stand  that  "it 
was  the  first  open  manifestation  in  this  country  of  a  spirit  of  resistance, 
which  led,  a  century  later,  to  the  American  Revolution. ' '  Queens  County 
had  only  one  City  to  be  merged  into  the  greater  municipality,  namely.  Long 
Island  City,  with  a  population  of  48,000.  This  City  consisted  of  three  com- 
munities— Astoria,  Eavenswood  and  Hunter's  Point — so  distinct  and  separate 
that  in  common  parlance  their  connection  with  each  other  was  generally 
ignored,  and  they  were  referred  to  by  their  former  names.  Astoria,  form- 
ing the  eastern  shore  of  the  famous  Hell  Gate,  contains  many  charming  resi- 
dences and  old  buildings.  Eavenswood  lies  between  Astoria  and  Hunter's 
Point,  and  is  composed  almost  entirely  of  suburban  residences.  Hunter's 
Point  is  a  great  oil  refining  depot,  with  factories  extending  for  more  than  a 
mile  along  the  river  front.  The  western  terminal  of  the  Long  Island  Eailroad 
is  here,  and  the  place  is  one  of  bustling  activity.  These  three  communities 
are  separated  by  intervals  of  thinly  settled  territory  which  afi'ord  room  for  a 


Historical  Review  of  the  Boroughs. 


17 


large  population  in  the  future.  The  Mayors  of  Long  Island  City  since  its 
incorporation  have  been : 

MAYORS  OF  LONG  ISLAND  CITY. 

Abram  D.  Ditmars  1870  1872    George  Petry  1883-1886 

Henry  S.  De  Bevoise  1872-1875    Patrick  J.  Gleason*  1887-1892 

Abram  D.  Ditmars  (resigned)   1875  Horatio  S.  Sandford*  1893  1895 

John  Quinn  1876  Patrick  J.  Gleason*  1896-1897 

Henry  S.  De  Bevoise  1876-1883  •Living,  January  i,  1898. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  real  property  in  the  Borough  of  Queens,  as  given 
by  the  County  Clerk,  is  $86,205,017.  The  debt  of  the  various  corporations 
that  make  up  the  borough  is  estimated  at  over  $7, 000, 000. 

The  Borough  of  Kichmond  (Staten  Island)  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  soil  of  New  York  City  to  be  pressed  by  the  foot  of  the  white  man,  Hud- 
son having  landed  there  before  he  entered  the  upper  Bay.  It  was  early  settled 
by  the  Dutch,  and  was  for  years  the  object  of  dispute  between  the  colonies  of 
New  York  and  New  Jersey.  She  adds  a  population  of  70,000,  and  an  area  of 
37, 760  acres  to  the  greater  City.  Staten  Island  was  the  seat  of  important  mili- 
tary operations  during  the  Kevolutionary  War,  and  Lord  Howe's  headquarters 
(the  Billop  House)  is  still  standing  in  Tottenville  as  a  reminder  of  that  inter- 
esting period.  During  one  winter  of  the  War,  Staten  Island  was  firmly  joined 
to  Manhattan  by  ice,  and  cannon  were  dragged  across  the  Bay  which  has  never 
been  frozen  solid  within  the  memory  of  any  living  person.  The  villages  of 
Huguenot  and  Nieuw  Dorp  signify  by  their  names  their  origin  in  the  early 
settlement  made  by  French  refugees  and  Dutch  emigrants.  In  the  old  Mora- 
vian cemetery,  in  a  magnificent  mausoleum,  lie  the  remains  of  Commodore 
Vanderbilt,  his  son,  William  H.,  and  other  members  of  that  noted  family. 
The  house  in  which  the  old  Commodore  was  born  still  stands  in  Port  Kich- 
mond, and  the  home  of  Aaron  Burr  stands  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation  in 
West  New  Brighton.  Fort  Wadsworth  and  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor  are  also 
among  the  interesting  institutions  of  the  Island. 

The  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  including,  as  it  does,  the  lower  end  of  West- 
chester County,  abounds  with  historic  riches  of  Colonial  and  Eevolutionary 
times.  The  first  purchase  of  lands  north  of  the  Harlem  Eiver  was  made  by 
the  West  India  Company  in  1639.  Two  years  later  Herr  Jonas  Bronx  arrived 
from  Holland  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  corresponding  to  the  territory 
now  know  as  Morrisania.  It  is  from  this  pioneer  that  the  Borough  receives 
its  name.  Most  of  this  territory  was  embraced  within  the  City  limits  of  New 
York  before  the  Consolidation.  It  has  an  area  of  26,523  acres,  and  a  popu- 
lation of  about  150,000.  In  1646  Adrian  Von  der  Donck  secured  a  tract  ex- 
tending sixteen  miles  along  the  Hudson  north  of  Manhattan  Island  and  reach- 
ing east  to  the  Bronx  river,  including  the  site  of  the  present  City  of  Yonkers 
and  the  entire  southwestern  part  of  Westchester  County.  The  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  Borough,  bordering  on  Long  Island  Sound,  was  settled  by  Anne 


18 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World, 


Hutchinson  and  her  husband,  who  were  driven  from  Boston  about  the  year 
1634.  John  Throckmorton  and  thirty-five  families  from  New  England  settled 
Throggs  Neck  eight  years  later,  and  the  northern  part  of  what  is  now  West- 
chester County  was  purchased  directly  from  the  Indians  by  Stephanus  Van 
Cortlandt. 

RECAPITULATION. 


Borough.                                                            Acres.  Population. 

Manhattan                                                       13.487  1,960,000 

Brooklyn                                                         46,080  1,180,000 

The  Bronx                                                       26,523  150,000 

Queens                                                         79,347  140,000 

Richmond                                                     37,760  70,000 

Total  203,197  3,500,000 


It  is  not  our  purpose  to  follow  in  detail  the  evolution  of  this  great  metrop- 
olis from  its  humble  beginning  as  a  little  community  of  fur-traders.  That 
has  been  done  by  others  more  fully  than  the  limits  or  design  of  this  volume 
will  permit.  But  in  order  to  appreciate  the  political,  social  and  commercial 
development  of  modern  New  York,  it  should  be  noted,  before  concluding  this 
brief  retrospect,  that  up  to  the  achievement  of  American  Independence,  the 
City  and  its  neighbors  were  shackled  in  their  growth  by  their  political  depen- 
dence on  foreign  governments,  and  much  of  their  history  was  determined,  not 
so  much  by  their  own  inhabitants  as  by  political  conditions  abroad.  Believed 
from  that  incubus,  American  communities,  under  their  own  directing  influ- 
ences, developed  with  extraordinary  rapidity.  Owing  to  geographical  rea- 
sons, more  potent  in  the  past  than  at  present,  the  municipalities  about  the 
port  of  New  York  grew  up  with  more  or  less  individuality,  but  nevertheless 
with  a  community  of  interest.  With  the  advancements  of  science,  which  have 
transformed  into  avenues  of  communication  and  bonds  of  connection  those 
geographical  features  which  were  formerly  considered  obstacles,  barriers  and 
natural  divisions,  the  identity  of  the  interests  of  these  municipalities  has 
become  more  apparent,  and  their  Consolidation  has  been,  not  the  conquest  of 
one  rival  by  another,  but  a  family  reunion  of  children  of  the  same  parent, 
who  have  grown  up  side  by  side,  in  earnest  competition  perhaps,  but  still  in 
friendly  intercourse,  and  who  have  mutually  resolved  to  unite  under  a  com- 
mon name  for  the  better  pursuit  of  their  common  aims. 


CHAPTER  n. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  IDEA  OF  MUNICIPAL  CONSOLIDATION 
AND  THE  CAUSES  LEADING  THERETO. 

NO  great  moral,  social,  or  political  reform  or  readjustment  is  effected  in  an 
instant,  and  the  change  by  which  the  communities  adjacent  to  the  port  of 
New  York  were  brought  together  under  a  single  municipal  government 
was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  It  was  the  fruition  of  an  idea  which  had  been  in 
process  of  germination  and  growth  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  at  least,  and 
which  had  for  its  aim  the  harmonization  of  rivalries  and  the  equalization  of 
burdens  and  privileges  dating  back  to  the  very  foundation  of  the  City.  Over 
two  centuries  ago  New  Amsterdam  looked  with  jealousy  upon  her  neighbor 
across  the  East  Eiver  and  feared  her  as  a  dangerous  rival  for  supremacy ; 
while  those  who  dwelt  in  Breuckenland  viewed  with  envy  the  rich  and  exclu- 
sive commerce  which  the  inhabitants  of  Manhattan  enjoyed.  The  Dutch 
pioneers  had  not  lived  on  Manhattan  and  Nassau  (Long)  Islands  twenty-five 
years  before  the  little  cloud  of  dissension,  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  appeared 
on  the  horizon,  in  the  form  of  a  petition  addressed  "to  the  Noble,  High  and 
Mighty  Lords,  the  Lords  States-General  of  the  United  Netherlands,  our  Most 
Illustrious  Sovereigns,"  and  dated  "July  26,  1649,  in  New  Amsterdam  on  the 
Island  Manhattans  in  New  Netherlands. ' '  Among  other  things,  the  petition- 
ers humbly  besought  "their  High  Mightinesses  to  be  pleased  to  determine 
and  so  to  establish  and  order  the  Boundaries  of  this  province,  that  all  cause  of 
difference,  disunion  and  trouble  may  be  cut  off  and  prevented;  that  their 
High  Mightinesses'  Subjects  may  live  and  dwell  in  peace  and  quietness,  and 
enjoy  their  liberty  as  well  in  trade  and  commerce  as  in  intercourse  and  settled 
limits."  Less  than  a  score  of  years  after  this  petition  was  offered,  the  people 
of  Brooklyn  were  engaged  in  strenuous  efforts  to  protect  themselves  from  en- 
croachments upon  their  ferry  privileges  by  New  Yorkers. 

With  the  advent  of  English  supremacy,  the  situation  was  not  improved, 
from  the  Brooklyn  standpoint,  by  the  sweeping  ferry  franchises  and  water- 
front privileges  secured  to  New  York  by  the  Dongan  Charter,  granted  April 
27,  1686,  under  letters  patent  from  James  11.  of  England.  These  rights, 
subsequently  perfected  and  further  secured  in  the  Cornbury  Charter,  1708, 
and  again  amplified  and  "forever  secured  to  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Com- 
monalty of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  to  their  successors  in  ofiice, ' '  in  the 
Montgomery  Charter,  1730,  practically  deprived  Brooklyn  of  her  water-front. 
These  privileges,  confirmed  time  and  again  by  the  state  courts,  gave  New  York 
City  the  inalienable  right  perpetually  to  control  all  ferries  running  from  her 


20 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


shores.  Under  the  Montgomery  Charter,  for  the  consideration  of  a  few  shill- 
ings and  a  beaver  skin,  New  York  City's  boundary  line  was  fixed  at  low 
water  mark  on  the  Brooklyn  shore,  so  that  while  the  inshore  end  of  a  hawser 
by  which  a  vessel  was  moored  to  a  Brooklyn  wharf  might  rest  on  Brooklyn 
territory,  the  outshore  end  and  the  vessel  itself  would  be  within  the  limits  of 
New  York  City.  As  a  consequence  of  this  monopoly,  Brooklyn,  up  to  the 
time  of  Consolidation,  had  no  water  front  of  her  own  except  a  small  tract  near 
Bay  Eidge,  and  the  only  other  way  by  which  a  vessel  could  be  gotten  into 
that  City  was  by  hauling  her  up  on  the  ways  or  landing  her  in  a  dry  dock. 
The  money  value  of  these  water  privileges  to  New  York  City  is  expressed  in 
the  receipts  from  ferry,  railroad  and  steamship  companies,  which  amount  to 
nearly  $2,500,000  a  year.  Brooklyn,  having  no  water  front  and  no  right  to 
tax  shipping,  had  no  coiTespondiug  income.  This  is  a  single  instance  of  a 
provoking  cause  of  the  desire  for  Consolidation — a  cause  whose  origin  can  be 
traced  back  to  a  foreign  source  across  3,000  miles  of  water  and  over  more 
than  two  centuries  of  time. 

After  years  of  rivalry,  varying  in  degree  of  acuteness  at  different  periods, 
the  acrimony  became  intensified  when,  shortly  after  1825,  the  townspeople  of 
Brooklyn  set  about  securing  a  Charter  for  a  City  on  the  eastern  shore.  This 
attempt  was  defeated  for  several  years  in  the  Legislature,  the  opponents 
claiming  that  it  was  Brooklyn's  manifest  destiny,  sooner  or  later,  to  become 
a  part  of  New  York  City.  In  January,  1834,  says  Stiles  in  his  "History  of 
King's  County,"  "The  Brooklyn  people,  undaunted  by  their  previous  defeats 
and  confident  in  their  own  resources  and  the  justice  of  their  claims,  again 
renewed  their  application  to  the  Legislature  for  a  City  charter.  The  City  of 
New  York,  with  the  spirit  of  the  dog  in  the  manger,  still  threw  the  whole 
weight  of  her  wealth  and  influence  against  the  movement,  objecting  that  the 
limits  of  the  City  of  New  York  ought  to  embrace  the  whole  of  the  Counties  of 
Kings  and  Kichmond ;  that  all  commercial  cities  are  natural  rivals  and  com- 
petitors, and  that  contentions,  inconvenience  and  other  calamities  grow  out  of 
such  rivalries ;  that  the  period  was  not  far  distant  when  a  population  of  not 
less  than  2,000,000  would  be  contained  within  the  three  counties  of  New 
York,  Kings  and  Kichmond ;  that  the  limits  of  the  City  of  New  York  already 
extended  to  low  water  mark  on  all  the  shores  of  Brooklyn  east  of  Ked  Hook ; 
that  an  act  of  Legislature  passed  in  1821  relative  to  the  Village  of  Brooklyn 
was  virtually  an  encroachment  on  the  rights  of  New  York,  inasmuch  as  it  pro- 
vided for  the  election  of  a  harbor  master,  whose  duty  in  Brooklyn  would  be 
within  the  City  limits  of  New  York ;  and  further,  that  the  Sheriff  and  civil 
officers  of  Brooklyn  were  allowed  to  execute  processes  on  board  of  vessels 
attached  to  the  wharves  of  Brooklyn. ' ' 

A  verbatim  passage  or  two  from  the  records  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of 
New  York  City  at  that  time  will  indicate  the  state  of  sentiment  which  then 
existed  on  Manhattan  Island.    The  Board  resolved : 


Brooklyn  Obtains  a  City  Charter. 


21 


"That  it  is  impolitic,  as  well  in  respect  to  the  interests  and  welfare  of  the 
applicants  themselves  (for  a  city  charter  for  Brooklyn)  as  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  that  the  former  should  be  incorporated  as  a  City, 
except  in  connection  with  the  City  of  New  York,  upon  equal  and  just  prin- 
ciples. 

"That  the  same  cannot  be  otherwise  done,  with  any  substantial  advantages 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Brooklyn,  without  materially  infringing  upon  the  vested 
rights  and  necessary  immunities  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

' '  That  from  the  peculiar  situation  of  the  City  of  New  Y'ork,  its  commercial 
character  and  importance,  and  the  inseparable  connection  existing  between  its 
prosperity  and  that  of  the  whole  State,  it  is  for  the  interests  of  the  people  of 
this  State,  as  a  political  body,  to  second  your  memorialists  in  their  efforts  to 
preserve  and  protect  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  City  of  New  York  in 
their  full  integrity  and  to  defeat  all  attempts  to  establish  a  distinct  and  rival 
community,  which,  by  exercising  a  divided  or  concurrent  jurisdiction,  over 
the  matters  which  now  constitute  the  harbor  of  New  Y^ork,  must  inevitably 
interfere  with  regulations  already  established  in  respect  to  its  navigation,  em- 
barrass the  commercial  pursuits  of  this  ancient  and  flourishing  City,  and  lead 
to  a  state  of  hostility  and  bad  feeling  between  parties  whose  contiguity  and 
peculiar  local  situation  indicate  that  they  should  be  united  as  one  body,  to 
participate  in  and  enjoy  with  mutual  security  and  benefit  the  advantages 
with  which  Nature  has  surrounded  them. ' ' 

The  granting  of  the  Brooklyn  City  Charter  on  April  8,  1834,  put  a  long 
quietus  upon  the  idea  of  New  York's  and  Brooklyn's  common  destiny,  and 
the  citizens  of  the  respective  Cities  again  devoted  their  attention  to  the  task 
of  gaining  as  much  advantage  of  each  other  as  possible.  In  1843  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  New  York  prepared  and  presented  to  the  Legislature  a  bill 
taxing  the  property  of  Brooklynites  doing  business  in  New  Y'ork,  against  the 
passage  of  which  the  Common  Council  of  Brooklyn  successfully  remonstrated. 
During  the  decade  of  1840-50,  the  idea  of  municipal  enlargement  by  annexa- 
tion found  a  local  expression  in  the  growing  movement  for  the  union  of 
Williamsburg  and  Brooklyn.  At  the  same  time  the  broader  application  of 
the  idea  to  New  York  and  Brooklyn  was  still  agitated.  In  1850  a  Senate 
Committee  was  appointed  to  report  on  the  subject  of  the  union  of  the  two 
great  Cities,  and  reported  adversely  in  1851.  The  favorable  sentiment  was 
expressed  in  the  minority  report  which  declared  it  to  be  apparent  to  all  "that 
the  true  interests  of  these  places  would  be  greatly  promoted  by  uniting  them 
under  a  common  government.  By  this  union  the  many  questions  that  would 
tend  to  disturb  the  peace  and  well-being  of  both  would  be  terminated. ' ' 

In  1856  State  Senator  Cyrus  P.  Smith,  of  King's  County,  introduced  a 
resolution  for  the  union  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  but  it  was  defeated  and 
the  subject  again  dropped.  A  unique  feature  of  Senator  Smith's  idea  was  the 
proposition  to  fill  up  the  East  Kiver  with  gravel,  and  connect  Manhattan  and 
Long  Islands  by  terra  firma.  He  believed  that  the  cost  of  the  enterprise  would 
be  more  than  covered  by  the  sale  of  the  made  land  at  high  prices.  In  1857 
a  partial  consolidation  of  interests  was  effected  by  the  passing  of  the  "Metro- 


22 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


politan  Police  Act, ' '  placing  the  police  of  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  surround- 
ing towns  under  one  jurisdiction,  an  Act  which  was  followed  by  others  merging 
the  fire  and  health  departments  of  the  Cities ;  but  these  ties  which  bound  the 
sister  Cities  together  were  destined  to  be  severed  thirteen  years  later. 

It  was  now  evident  that  Consolidation  was  not  to  be  effected  without  a  long 
fight  and  a  strong  fight,  and  a  fight  maintained  with  a  persistency  of  purpose 
born  of  experience,  knowledge,  and  courageous  tenacity.  No  man  combined 
these  qualities  more  eminently  than  Andrew  Haswell  Green,  to  whom  a  re- 
spectful and  affectionate  people  apply  the  term  of  "Father  of  the  Greater  New 
York."  Thirty  years  ago  his  prophetic  mind  foresaw  municipal  Consolida- 
tion in  its  ultimately  broad  scope,  as  that  of  Samuel  Adams  perceived,  years 
in  advance  of  his  contemporaries,  the  destiny  of  the  American  Colonies  to 
become  united  into  a  single  and  homogeneous  political  system.  Mr.  Green  was 
born  October  6,  1820,  upon  the  commanding  eminence  of  the  City  of  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  named  Green  Hill,  which  has  been  the  homestead  of  the  family 
for  four  generations.  Springing  from  a  lineage  which  had  displayed  its  self- 
sacrificing  loyalty  in  the  great  national  drama  which  preceded  American  Inde- 
pendence, born  of  parents  of  strong  intellectuality  and  robust  integrity,  and 
reared  upon  a  homestead  commanding  one  of  the  broadest  and  most  beautiful 
views  in  New  England,  Mr.  Green  inherently  possessed  and  naturally  acquired 
those  distinguishing  traits  of  character  which  appeared  afterward  in  his 
incorruptible  honor,  his  intense  love  of  the  scientific  and  the  beautiful,  and 
his  appreciation  and  unselfish  devotion  to  the  well-being  of  his  fellow-men. 
Although  educated  in  the  Worcester  Academy  with  a  view  of  entering  the 
United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  the  purpose  of  a  military 
career  was  abandoned,  and  about  the  year  1835  he  entered  the  employment  of 
a  prominent  business  house  in  New  York  City.  Mr.  Green's  talents,  how- 
ever, were  cast  in  the  professional  rather  than  the  mercantile  mold,  and  after 
several  years  of  business  life,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden, 
whose  political  principles  he  shared,  and  with  whom  he  sustained  confiden- 
tial and  trusted  relations  throughout  life.  Upon  Mr.  Tilden's  death  Mr. 
Green  became  one  of  the  executors  of  his  will,  which,  among  other  provisions, 
left  seven  millions  of  dollars  for  a  public  library.  In  this  capacity  he  was 
first  to  propose  the  consolidation  of  libraries,  which  was  effected  in  1895, 
under  the  title  of  ' '  The  New  York  Public  Library  :  Astor,  Lenox  and  Tilden 
Foundations."  While  practicing  his  profession,  Mr.  Green  became  greatly 
interested  in  educational  affairs,  and  it  was  as  a  Trustee  of  the  public  schools 
of  New  York,  elected  by  the  people  of  the  Fourteenth  Ward,  that  he  first 
entered  public  life.  In  1854  he  was  elected  a  Commissioner  of  Public 
Schools,  and  soon  after  became  President  of  the  Board  of  Education.  In  this 
capacity,  as  in  every  other  public  trust,  Mr.  Green  displayed  a  complete  mastery 
of  details  and  a  jealous  championship  of  the  interests  committed  to  his  care. 
In  1857  he  first  became  identified  with  Central  Park  when  that  section  of  the 


ANDREW   HASWELL  GREEN. 


The  Father  of  Greater  New  York. 


25 


town  was  yet  unformed,  and  his  labors  have  left  their  impress  upon  almost 
every  beautiful  natural  feature  that  has  been  preserved  on  the  island  north  of 
Fifty-ninth  street.  First  as  Commissioner,  then  as  Treasurer,  then  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Park  Board,  and  finally  as  Controller  of  the  Park — an  office  created 
especially  to  give  greater  scope  to  his  abilities — he  bestowed  for  years  more 
solicitous  care  upon  the  creation,  development  and  extension  of  the  City's 
great  and  small  thoroughfares  and  pleasure  grounds  than  any  other  individual 
citizen.  Bringing  into  play  his  many-sided  faculties,  he  blended  with  the 
development  of  public  parks  a  comprehensive  scheme  of  public  health,  public 
amusement,  and  public  education.  The  Museum  of  Natural  History,  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  the  Meteorological  Observatory,  and  the  Zoolo- 
gical Garden,  are  but  features  of  his  plan,  which  also  included  a  meteorolog- 
ical and  astronomical  observatory.  An  unmarried  man,  Mr.  Green  seems  to 
have  adopted  the  children  of  the  City  for  his  own,  and  in  the  interest  of  the 
comfort  and  happiness  of  these  little  ones,  and  of  the  manual  classes,  he  has 
resolutely  defended  the  public  parks  and  breathing  places  against  the  en- 
croachments periodically  attempted.  His  jealousy  for  the  protection  and 
preservation  of  these  privileges  has  been  so  great  that  he  has  resisted  the  use 
of  Central  Park  for  military  parades,  for  a  speedway,  and  for  the  World's 
Fair  in  1892;  protested  against  the  location  of  Grant's  Mausoleum  in  Kiver- 
side  Park,  and  objected  to  the  location  of  the  New  York  Public  Library,  in 
which  he  is  deeply  interested,  upon  the  site  of  the  old  Bryant  Park  reservoir. 
It  was  also  through  his  efforts,  assisted  by  the  Empire  State  Society  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Eevolution,  that  the  historic  City  Hall  of  old  New  York 
was  preserved  from  destruction.  Mr.  Green's  exalted  idea  of  honesty  could 
never  tolerate  the  attainment  or  retention  of  any  position  in  the  public  serv- 
ice, high  or  low,  except  by  genuine  merit.  His  principle  in  this  regard  is 
illustrated  by  a  placard  which  hangs  on  his  office  wall,  a  relic  of  the  days 
when  he  was  the  directing  power  of  Central  Park,  which  reads  as  follows : 

"Men  are  employed  by  the  Commissioners  of 
the  Park  to  work  for  their  regular  wages  and  for 
no  other  consideration  whatever.  The  labor  of 
each  man  employed,  his  compliance  with  the 
rules  of  the  work,  and  civil  behavior  are  all  that 
will  be  required  of  him.  No  influence  of  any 
sort  will  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  political 
opinions  or  actions  of  men  employed. 

' '  Andrew  H.  Green.  ' ' 

Mr.  Green  required  the  reading  of  this  notice  once  a  fortnight  by  the  fore- 
man to  each  gang  of  laborers,  and  had  it  posted  on  every  tool-box  used  by  the 
department. 

In  1865,  when  he  was  Controller  of  the  Park,  the  Legislature  imposed  upon 
the  Commissioners  of  Central  Park  the  duty  of  laying  out  that  portion  of  the 


26 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


island  lying  north  of  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street ;  and  his  official 
communications  on  the  subject  refer  to  a  vast  body  of  subjects  such  as  the 
creation,  extension,  widening  and  straightening  of  streets,  the  reservation  of 
Iiarks  and  parkways,  the  Harlem  Eiver  improvements,  sewerage,  reforming 
the  city  plan  below  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street,  ferries,  bridges, 
transverse  tunnels  across  the  Island,  water  and  gas  supply,  pavements,  abba- 
toirs,  fair  grounds,  race  courses,  riding  and  driving,  and  rapid  transit. 
Most  of  these  recommendations  have  been  adopted  and  are  now  accepted  as 
matters  of  course,  with  little  public  appreciation  of  the  time,  thought,  and 
energy  devoted  to  their  projection,  while  others,  such  as  rapid  transit,  are 
still  engrossing  the  careful  attention  of  the  municipal  statesmen  of  to-day. 
As  truly  as  Hamilton's  character  is  wrought  into  his  enduring  works  of  state- 
craft, or  as  Edison's  is  being  expressed  in  the  beneficent  inventions  which 
confront  the  citizen  at  every  turn,  Mr.  Green's  is  woven  into  the  structure  and 
visible  aspect  of  modern  New  York.  This  is  true  not  only  of  great  construc- 
tive works,  but  also  of  such  subordinate  details  as  the  graceful  outline  of  the 
Washington  Bridge,  which  was  substituted  for  an  ungainly  original  plan,  or, 
negatively,  the  suppression  of  unsuitable  designs  for  the  Central  Park  gate- 
ways. 

At  the  time  of  the  Tweed  revelations  in  1871,  when  the  people  cast  about 
for  some  citizen  of  proved  integrity  to  stand  as  a  faithful  watchdog  over  the 
city's  treasury,  they  turned  instinctively  to  Mr.  Green,  and  morally  coerced 
Controller  Connolly  to  appoint  him  as  his  Deputy.  Mr.  Tweed's  chagrin 
was  privately  expressed  in  his  admission  that  the  appointee  was  a  man  whom 
he  could  not  in  the  least  degree  subordinate  to  his  own  designs.  The  "New 
York  Tribune' '  expressed  the  popular  sentiment  of  the  time  when  it  said : 
"Fortunately  Mr.  Green  is  an  officer  whose  long  experience  in  public  affairs, 
strict  sense  of  accountability,  and  thorough  methods  of  doing  business  make 
it  impossible  that  he  should  pursue  any  course  less  satisfactory  to  the  honest 
and  intelligent  taxpayers  of  this  City  than  that  which  is  outlined  by  'The 
Tribune.'  The  man  who  now  holds  the  keys  of  the  City  Treasury  is  incor- 
ruptible, inaccessible  to  partisan  or  personal  considerations,  immovable  by 
threats  or  bribes,  and  honest  by  the  very  constitution  of  his  whole  nature." 
Mr.  Connolly  was  soon  compelled  to  retire,  and  Mayor  Hall,  in  obedience  to 
universal  public  sentiment,  appointed  Mr.  Green  Controller  in  his  place.  In 

1876  Mr.  Green  was  nominated  for  Mayor  on  the  Citizens'  Independent  ticket, 
but  declined  to  run  out  of  consideration  for  the  interests  of  Mr.  Tilden,  who 
was  then  candidate  for  President  of  the  United  States ;  and  in  1897,  although 
again  publicly  mentioned  as  first  Mayor  of  the  greater  City,  he  again  declined 
to  avail  himself  of  a  natural  opportunity  to  secure  the  nomination  of  the 
Democratic  party  for  the  honor  to  which  his  public  services,  in  i)opular  esti- 
mation, seemed  to  entitle  him.    Upon  retiring  from  the  office  of  Controller  in 

1877  he  assumed  the  extensive  responsibility  of  executing  the  estate  of 


The  Father  of  Greater  New  York. 


27 


William  B.  Ogden,  but  his  fellow  citizens  still  maintained  a  hold  on  his  serv- 
ices. In  1880  Mayor  Cooper  appointed  him  Park  Commissioner.  In  1881 
Governor  Cornell  appointed  him  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  revise  the  tax 
laws  of  the  State.  In  1883  Governor  Cleveland  appointed  him  on  the  Niagara 
Park  Commission,  in  which  position  he  was  retained  Governors  Hill  and 
Flower.  In  1890  the  Legislature  appointed  him  a  Commissioner  to  locate 
and  plan  the  great  railroad  bridge  across  the  Hudson  Kiver  which  is  to  unite 
Manhattan  Island  with  the  rest  of  the  continent.  In  breaking  ground  at  the 
site  where  the  New  York  terminus  was  first  located,  Mr.  Green  said:  "I  am 
glad  that  you  have  provided  me  with  a  sensible  tool — a  strong,  substantial 
shovel,  fit  symbol  of  honest  practical  labor — instead  of  a  silver  trowel  or  a 
gilded  spade.  With  this  robust  implement,  which  well  indicates  the  inten- 
tion of  its  promoters  that  the  work  is  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  all  the 
people,  and  not  alone  for  the  aggrandizement  of  capital,  in  the  presence  of 
this  assemblage  as  witnesses,  I  now  commence  the  work  of  constructing  the 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  Bridge,  fixing  its  location  by  a  visible  earthmark." 
Mr.  Green  deems  this  structure  one  of  the  most  important  and  essential  factors 
for  the  retention  of  the  commercial  supremacy  of  New  York.  The  i^eople 
elected  Mr.  Green  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1894,  and 
about  the  same  time  he  was  appointed  by  the  Legislature  one  of  the  State 
Trustees  of  Scenic  and  Historic  Places  and  Objects.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
original  trustees  of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Bridge.  Omitting  for  the 
present  any  reference  to  his  subsequent  public  honors,  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  during  this  period  he  has  been  connected  as  Member,  Director,  Trustee, 
or  Ofiicer,  with  many  societies  and  institutions,  including  the  American  Anti- 
quarian Society,  New  York  Historical  Society,  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York  Zoological  Society,  New 
York  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society,  New  York  Geographical  Society, 
New  York  Society  for  Parks  and  Playgrounds  for  Children,  New  York  Juve- 
nile Asylum,  the  Isabella  Heimath,  New  York  Public  Library,  Astor,  Lenox 
and  Tilden  Foundations,  New  York  Academy  of  Science,  State  Bar  Association, 
Nev/  York  State  Agricultural  Society,  and  the  Sons  of  the  American  Eevolu- 
tion. 

The  foregoing  sketch  of  Mr.  Green's  life,  though  brief,  will  enable  the 
reader  to  understand  how  each  successive  stage  in  his  career  was  fertilizing 
his  mind  for  the  germination  and  growth  of  the  idea  which  has  found  its  con- 
summation in  the  unification  of  the  municipalities  grouped  around  the  port  of 
New  York.  It  should  be  understood  that  the  science  of  municipal  develop- 
ment, so  far  as  it  exists  to-day,  exists  not  in  books,  but  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  have  devoted  themselves  to  its  study.  One  can  read  standard  works  on 
the  subject  of  architecture,  or  astronomy,  or  constitutional  government,  but 
there  is  no  standard  literature  on  the  science  of  the  construction  of  cities. 
One  reason  for  this  is  the  fact  that  this  department  of  human  activity  is  so 


28 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


subject  to  the  altered  condition  of  progressive  civilization,  that  the  science 
has  had  no  time  to  crystallize  into  a  body  of  fixed  principles.  From  the  be- 
ginning of  civilization  to  the  present  time,  there  has  been  a  constant  and 
accelerated  change  in  the  requirements  and  conditions  of  urban  populations. 
Primitive  tribes  were  nomadic,  with  no  i^ermanent  habitation,  migrating  with 
the  seasons,  following  their  supply  of  food  like  the  children  of  Nature  that 
they  were.  Then,  as  civilization  dawned  and  rose,  habitations  became  more 
fixed,  but  their  location  was  still  largely  determined  by  natural  characteristics. 
Men  built  walls  to  inclose  places  of  safety  from  wild  beasts  and  human  ene- 
mies ;  and  to  minimize  the  labor  of  constructing  their  defenses,  they  huddled 
their  domiciles  as  closely  together  as  possible,  leaving  streets  only  wide 
enough  to  move  about  in.  Their  passageways,  following  the  lines  of  least 
physical  resistance,  were  often  laid  out  along  the  paths  first  made  by  domestic 
animals,  and  even  at  the  present  time  the  inhabitants  of  many  a  city  tread 
ancient  streets  whose  courses  were  determined  by  those  most  primitive  of 
civil  engineers,  the  dumb  beasts.  Carriageways  were  not  then  thought  of, 
and  sidewalks  are  a  modern  invention.  Almost  all  oriental  cities  were  first 
laid  out  regardless  of  vehicular  traffic.  As  Mr.  Green  says  in  one  of  his 
remarkable  reports,  streets  were  first  used  by  men  and  animals  of  burden 
indiscriminately,  and  such  a  condition  still  exists  in  some  unprogressive  Euro- 
pean cities,  in  which  the  pedestrian  finds  his  way  among  the  beasts  and  filth 
of  the  kennel.  The  dangers  and  inconveniences  of  this  indiscriminate  mix- 
ture of  travel  led  to  a  distribution  of  travel  and  traffic  when  carriages  were 
introduced.  Beasts  of  burden  and  vehicles  were  assigned  to  one  side  of  the 
way  and  pedestrians  to  another.  And  finally  in  crowded  streets,  pedestrians 
passing  in  opposite  directions  arranged  themselves  in  distinct  currents  of 
travel,  those  going  one  way  taking  one  side  of  the  walk  and  those  going  the 
other  way  taking  the  other  side  of  the  same  walk.  The  idea  of  paving  the 
thoroughfares,  while  practiced  to  a  certain  extent  in  the  streets  of  ancient 
Rome  and  Pompeii,  which  still  show  the  ruts  of  chariot  wheels,  was  not  uni- 
versally regarded  as  a  necessity  until  more  modern  times.  "There  was  no 
pavement  in  Paris, "  says  Mr.  Green,  "until  the  royal  stomach  of  Philip 
Augustus  was  turned,  as  he  looked  out  of  his  windows  in  the  Cite,  by  odors 
proceeding  from  a  wagon  plowing  up  the  mud  of  the  streets ;  and  the  man- 
dates which  issued  thereupon  must  have  been  slowly  executed,  for  years 
elapsed  before  the  perambulation  of  the  streets  by  pigs  was  forbidden,  when 
a  son  of  Louis  le  Gros  had  been  thrown  from  his  horse  by  one  of  these  un- 
toward animals.  Less  than  two  centuries  since,  the  streets  of  London,  if 
paved  at  all,  were  so  imperfectly  paved  that  the  occasional  wheeled  carriage 
that  passed  through  them  was  very  likely  to  get  fixed  in  the  mire.  From  a 
mutual  exertion  to  avoid  the  mud  thrown  by  carriage  wheels  toward  the  foot 
passage,  quarrels  often  arose  between  pedestrians  as  to  which  should  'take 
the  wall, '  or  the  side  of  the  walk  most  remote  from  the  carriageway.  The 


i 


The  Science  of  Municipal  Construction. 


31 


existing  custom  of  giving  to  ladies  tlie  inside  of  the  walk  arose  from  the  desire 
to  avoid  exposing  them  to  the  contents  of  the  gutter. ' ' 

The  old  adage  that  Necessity  is  the  Mother  of  Invention  is  well  illustrated 
in  the  progress  of  street  building  from  these  small  beginnings.  Convenience 
of  construction  is  now  subordinate  to  the  end  desired.  When  Nassau  Street, 
in  Manhattan  Borough,  was  first  laid  out,  the  citizens  petitioned  for  permis- 
sion to  construct  a  highway  along  the  "lane  that  runs  by  the  pie-woman." 
The  pie-woman  with  her  enduring  wares  has  not  yet  disappeared  entirely 
from  among  the  minor  institutions  of  the  metropolis,  but  she  has  ceased  to  be 
a  mere-stone  for  the  location  of  streets.  To-day  the  citizens  decide  where 
they  want  a  street,  and  there  they  make  it,  even  if  they  have  to  cut  it  seventy 
five  or  one  hundred  feet  deep  in  solid  rock — as  may  be  seen  in  the  new  streets 
that  are  being  constructed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Island.  In  the  infancy  of 
invention,  watercourses  and  mountains  which  we  now  span  or  penetrate  to  suit 
our  convenience,  were  insurmountable  obstacles ;  and,  as  in  the  case  of  Lon- 
don before  the  advent  of  the  Romans,  it  was  not  uncommon  for  hostile  peoples 
to  dwell  on  opposite  sides  of  a  river,  restrained  from  each  other's  throats  by 
a  barrier  which  has  since  been  converted  into  an  avenue  of  friendly  communi- 
cation. So  tenacious  is  the  human  race  of  its  traditions,  even  involuntarily, 
and  so  hard  is  it  to  uproot  and  cast  out  inherited  customs  and  modes  of  think- 
ing, that  it  is  oftentimes  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  people  can  be  made 
to  realize  that  they  have  outgrown  the  conditions  of  early  barbarism,  and 
that,  as  in  the  case  of  New  York  City,  natural  geographical  divisions  do  not 
necessarily  involve  segregation  or  hostility  of  interests.  The  changes  in 
these  conditions,  keeping  pace  with  the  progress  of  invention,  have  been  so 
rapid  and  multifarious,  that  if  any  attempt  were  made  to  formulate  the  canons 
of  municipal  construction,  they  would  be  outgrown  in  a  lifetime.  We  see 
illustrations  of  this  fact  almost  every  year  at  home  or  abroad.  The  correc- 
tion of  past  errors  or  the  adaptation  to  modern  circumstances,  is  alreadj' 
costing  New  York  City  many  millions.  The  widening  of  Broadway  under 
the  law  of  1857,  and  the  very  recent  widening  and  extension  of  College  Place 
and  Elm  street,  are  illustrations  in  point.  The  irremediable  error  of  that 
portion  of  the  City's  plan,  from  Houston  street  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fifth  street,  which  disposed  the  longitudinal  avenues  at  greater  distances  apart 
than  the  lateral  streets,  thus  reducing  the  number  of  the  channels  of  traffic  in 
the  direction  in  which  they  were  most  needed,  is  continually  costing  the  in- 
habitants of  Manhattan  Island  great  treasure.  The  Commission  which  was 
originally  intrusted  by  the  law  of  1807  with  the  task  of  laying  out  that  sec- 
tion, was  composed  of  three  distinguished  gentlemen — Gouverneur  Morris, 
Simeon  DeWitt  and  John  Rutherford — whose  eminent  services  in  many  direc- 
tions have  earned  for  their  names  a  lasting  reputation.  But  not  one  of  them 
was  a  resident  of  the  City.  Mr.  Rutherford  lived  in  New  Jersey,  Mr.  Morris 
in  Westchester,  and  Mr.  DeWitt  in  Albany.    They  employed  John  Eandel, 


32 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  Woi'ld. 


Jr.,  to  lay  outtlieplau,  and  Le  adopted  the  system  wliicli  gridirons  the  islaud. 
As  soon  as  the  City  began  to  approach  the  territory  comprised  therein,  there 
was  a  demand  for  its  modification,  and  in  the  next  fifty  years  no  less  than 
thirty-eight  laws  were  passed  for  that  purpose,  abolishing  or  materially  alter- 
ing almost  every  feature  of  the  original  plan  except  the  rectangular  system. 
Two  further  instances  may  be  cited  in  passing,  showing  how  little,  at  different 
stages  of  the  City's  life,  the  City  fathers  realized  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
would  grow.  When  the  City  Hall  of  old  New  York  was  erected  in  1803-12, 
it  was  built  of  white  marble,  with  the  exception  of  the  north  wall,  which,  for 
the  sake  of  economy,  was  made  of  brown  stone,  as  it  was  not  then  thought 
that  the  city  would  grow  so  as  to  extend  around  to  the  north  side  of  the  build- 
ing !  "When  the  Commission  on  laying  out  the  City  made  their  report  in  1811, 
they  planned  among  other  things  a  grand  parade  (Thirty-second  to  Thirty- 
fourth  Streets),  and  thought  it  no  unreasonable  conjecture  that  in  half  a  cen- 
tury the  City  would  be  closely  built  up  to  its  northern  boundary  and  contain 
a  population  of  400,000  souls!  In  1861,  at  the  end  of  that  period,  the 
prophesied  population  had  been  more  than  doubled. 

The  City  continued  to  expand.  In  1851  a  second  attempt  was  made  to  lay 
out  part  of  the  island,  the  objective  portion  being  the  territory  above  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street,  and  the  Common  Council  directed  the  Street 
Commission  to  present  a  plan.  Commissioner  John  T.  Dodge  appointed 
Edwin  Smith,  Gardner  A.  Sage  and  William  Dodge,  Jr.,  to  take  the  matter  in 
charge,  but  no  appropriation  having  been  made  for  the  work,  nothing  was 
accomplished.  In  1860  a  third  attempt  was  made  by  the  Legislative  appoint- 
ment of  a  board  of  seven  Commissioners,  who,  serving  without  pay,  expended 
$41,236  for  some  valuable  surveys,  and  at  the  end  of  their  four  years'  term 
surrendered  the  responsibilities  of  their  trust  At  length,  by  Act  of  April  24, 
1865,  the  powers  of  these  Commissioners  were  transferred  to  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Central  Park,  and  at  this  point  in  our  narrative  we  discover  an 
important  turning-point  in  the  City's  history,  and  first  see  emerging  from  the 
mass  of  perplexities  which  had  confronted  the  people,  the  idea  of  Consolida.- 
tion  which  has  just  been  consummated. 

When  the  Central  Park  Commissioners  assumed  the  task  of  laying  out  the 
northern  end  of  the  island,  they  encountered  problems  which  have  increased 
in  difficulty  ever  since,  and  the  solution  of  which  required  careful  analysis 
and  study.  If  the  insular  interests  of  the  island  were  alone  to  be  considered, 
there  would  have  been  no  need  of  municipal  partnership  with  her  neighbors ; 
but  the  instant  that  her  relations  with  the  outside  world  became  involved,  the 
necessity  for  some  concert  of  purpose  became  imperative.  If  an  avenue  laid 
out  on  Manhattan  Island  was  not  to  terminate  at  the  Harlem  at  a  grade  so  far 
above  the  corresponding  highway  across  the  river  as  to  make  bridge  connec- 
tion difficult  or  impracticable,  co-ordination  of  action  was  necessary.  When 
the  question  of  bridges  across  the  Harlem  arose,  the  people  of  Westchester 


Mr.  Green's  Historic  Communication  of  1868. 


33 


County  claimed  that  New  York  owned  to  liigli  water  mark  on  the  Westchester 
shore,  and  that  New  York  should  assume  the  expense  of  the  whole  bridge 
except  the  portion  which  extended  bej'ond  the  limit  of  flood  tide.  Still  later, 
upon  the  construction  of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Bridge,  the  problems  of 
the  proper  division  of  expense  and  management,  of  tolls,  etc.,  were  sources  of 
constant  friction. 

A  thousand  questions  like  these,  too  numerous  and  complicated  to  mention, 
evoked  a  now  historic  communication  addressed  to  the  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners of  Central  Park  by  Comptroller  Green,  under  date  of  December  30, 
1868,  which  was  printed  as  an  appendix  to  the  Twelfth  Annual  Eeport  of  the 
Commissioners.  This  document,  which  reveals  the  source  of  Mr.  Green's 
idea  in  the  considerations  heretofore  mentioned,  is  here  given  in  full : 

"To  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Central  Park: 

"In  the  progress  of  laying  out  the  north  end  of  the  Island  the  general  sug- 
gestions, made  in  a  previous  communication  to  the  Board  concerning  the  rela- 
tions of  the  southerly  part  of  Westchester  County  with  the  City,  have  come  to 
be  practically  important,  and  call  for  distinct  notice  and  specific  consideration 
before  proceeding  to  complete  the  plans  upon  which  the  Board  is  now  engaged. 
The  lower  part  of  the  County  of  Westchester  lies  adjacent  to  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  is  separated  from  it  by  a  river  of  a  width  easily  bridged  or  tunneled. 
It  is  so  intimately  connected  with  and  dependent  upon  the  City  of  New  York, 
that  unity  of  plan  for  improvements  on  both  sides  of  the  river  is  essential,  not 
only  for  the  future  convenience  of  the  inhabitants,  but  in  order  that  the  ex- 
pensive processes  of  changing  the  plan  of  the  coming  City  after  it  is  built  up 
may  be  avoided. 

"The  leading  avenues  and  lines  of  travel  in  the  City  of  New  York  lie  gen- 
erally in  a  northeasterly  direction,  and  reach  the  boundary  between  the  two 
counties  at  very  different  distances  from  the  center  of  business  in  New  York ; 
thus,  the  Second  Avenue  terminates  at  the  Harlem  Eiver,  at  about  seven 
miles  from  the  City  Hall,  the  Eighth  Avenue  at  about  nine  miles,  and  the 
King's  Bridge  Koad,  on  the  west  side  of  the  City  at  about  twelve  miles  from 
the  same  point.  There  is  therefore  a  triangular  gore  o{  the  southwestern  por- 
tion of  Westchester  County,  five  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  over 
two  miles  in  width,  from  east  to  west,  including  all  parts  of  the  town  of  West- 
chester, that  lies  as  near  the  business  centre  of  New  York  as  the  opposite  part 
of  New  York  Island. 

"Most  of  the  valleys  in  Westchester  which  afford  easy  lines  for  travel,  run 
in  a  similar  direction  as  the  leading  avenues  of  New  Y'ork. 

"The  bridges  that  have  up  to  this  time  been  constructed  across  the  Harlem 
Eiver,  are  but  cheap  and  poor  affairs,  with  a  capacity  for  travel  that  is  so 
much  less  than  that  of  the  roads  leading  to  them,  as  to  occasion,  particularly 
at  those  with  swings  or  draws,  interruptions  and  delays  to  travel  that  will 
soon  become  very  serious. 

"The  development  of  both  Counties  will  be  much  advanced  by  providing 
means  of  a  direct  crossing  of  the  river  at  the  ends  of  most  of  the  leading 
avenues  of  New  York  terminating  at  the  river,  and  by  laying  such  new  avenues 
as  are  to  be  provided  in  New  York,  terminating  at  the  Harlem  Eiver,  as 
far  as  practicable,  so  as  to  connect  readily  and  directly  by  bridges  or  tunnels 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


with  avenues  leadiug  immediately  into  the  heart  of  Westchester  County  by  the 
natural  openings  in  the  hills,  or  by  convenient  methods  of  surmounting  them. 

"But  little  more  than  a  decade  has  passed  since  the  only  roads  from  the 
City  of  New  York  into  and  through  Westchester  County  were  the  old  Col- 
onial Boston  Post  Koad  and  the  Albany  Turnpike ;  the  former  having  its 
l)eginning  nearly  opposite  the  present  termination  of  the  Third  Avenue,  and 
the  latter  at  King's  Bridge. 

"After  the  building  of  Macomb's  Dam  and  the  Farmer's  Bridge,  near  Ford- 
ham,  roads  were  opened  to  them,  each  terminating  in  the  road  crossing  West- 
chester from  the  Boston  Post  Koad,  and  running  through  Fordham  to  the 
Albany  Turnpike.  Three  leading  lines  of  railroad  already  pass  through  this 
County,  and  two  or  three  others  are  projected. 

"On  its  surface,  which  is  generally  well  adapted  for  suburban  residences, 
may  now  be  found  many  beautiful  private  structures,  as  well  as  public  insti- 
tutions of  great  extent.  Its  steep  and  precipitous  bluflfs  are  chiefly,  though 
not  entirely,  on  the  hills  that  lie  along  the  Hudson  and  Harlem  rivers. 

' '  The  immediate  front  on  the  Harlem  Kiver  is  capable  of  being  made  avail- 
able for  the  purposes  of  commerce  and  for  the  convenience  of  a  large  popula- 
tion. It  is  not  too  early  to  endeavor  to  guide,  by  such  foresight  as  can  be 
commanded,  the  progress  of  improvements  in  Westchester  in  conjunction  with 
those  of  this  City,  for  the  best  ultimate  interests  of  both ;  and  so  that  the 
benefits  which  ought  naturally  to  accrue  to  that  County,  from  its  proximity  to 
the  city,  may  not  be  postponed.  Several  villages  have,  within  the  last  twenty 
years,  been  projected  in  Westchester  by  the  owners  of  farms,  which  already 
embarrass  the  question  of  future  improvements,  and  unless  the  difficulties  are 
soon  met  by  the  adoption  of  a  general  plan,  these  embarrassments  will  have 
so  increased,  and  become  so  fixed  upon  the  ground,  that  no  generation  will  be 
found  bold  enough  to  grapple  with  and  remedy  them. 

"Less  than  four  square  miles  of  the  City  of  New  York,  above  Astor  Place, 
had  been  laid  out  in  farm  plots,  without  reference  to  any  general  plan,  prior 
to  1807,  and  were  but  little  built  upon  prior  to  1811,  when  the  plan  of  the 
City  was  adopted ;  and  to  this  day,  parts  of  this  district  have  not  recovered 
from  the  ill  efi'ects  of  this  heterogeneous  work  of  individuals.  When  once 
sales  of  territory  are  made  in  small  subdivisions,  questions  of  title  so  compli- 
cate and  weigh  down  efforts  to  remedy  past  errors  that  they  are  abandoned. 

"Although  a  street  or  avenue  may  be  made  more  capacious  by  taking  land 
from  adjacent  lots,  yet  by  this  process  the  lots  bordering  on  it  are  often  left 
of  greatly  reduced  value  and  of  much  diminished  convenience. 

"The  southerly  part  of  Westchester  County  is  made  up  of  the  towns  of 
Morrisania,  West  Farms,  East  and  West  Chester  and  Yonkers.  The  township 
of  Morrisania  already  comprehends  the  villages  of  Morrisania,  Mott  Haven, 
Port  Morris,  Wilton,  North  New  York,  East  and  West  Morrisania,  Melrose, 
Woodstock,  Elton,  Claremont  and  Highbridgeville.  The  township  of  West 
Farms  comprises  the  villages  of  Tremont,  Belmont,  West  Farms,  Central 
Morrisania,  Mount  Hope,  Mount  Eden,  William's  Bridge,  Fairmount  and 
Fordham.  These  settlements  are  generally  laid  out  with  but  little  regard  to 
each  other  or  to  their  surroundings.  The  case  is  similar  with  that  part  of  the 
town  of  Yonkers  which  adjoins  the  Ci4y  of  New  York,  and  those  parts  of  the 
towns  of  East  and  West  Chester  within  the  same  radial  distance  from  New 
York  City  Hall  as  King's  Bridge. 

"The  rapid  approach  of  the  City  has  occasioned  great  changes  in  the  sub- 


Mr.  Green's  Historic  Communication  of  1868. 


35 


divisions  of  land  in  these  towns,  and  in  the  vahie  of  property.  But  a  few 
years  since  they  were  but  little  altered  in  their  surface,  except  by  the  work  of 
the  farmer,  from  what  they  were  when  all  that  portion  of  the  country  was 
granted  to  Yonder  Donck,  more  than  two  centuries  ago. 

"The  increase  of  this  City  will,  within  a  short  period,  without  doubt, 
require  most  of  the  area  included  within  the  southern  part  of  Westchester  for 
the  homes  of  her  artisans  and  merchants,  and  the  solution  of  the  question  of 
rapid  conveyance  of  business  men  between  their  homes  and  business,  is  all 
that  is  required  to  cover  the  unsettled  portion  of  New  York  and  the  pictur- 
esque hills  and  valleys  of  the  southerly  part  of  Westchester  with  the  residences 
of  these  classes  and  of  those  who  desire  to  live  near  a  great  city. 

"The  Harlem  Kiver  and  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  are  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  two  counties ;  the  jurisdiction  of  the  City  of  New  York  extends  to 
low-water  mark  on  the  Westchester  shore.  It  needs  but  a  short  look  into  the 
future  to  see  this  river  busy  with  the  craft  that  are  to  supply  the  thriving 
population  on  both  its  banks. 

"At  present  these  waters  are  but  little  navigated  for  commercial  purposes; 
in  some  parts  they  are  obstructed  by  mud-fiats  and  by  illy-constructed  bridges. 

"These  two  are  really  but  one  river,  or  rather  they  are  an  estuary  connecting 
the  tidewaters  of  the  East  Eiver  and  the  Sound  with  those  of  the  north  side 
of  the  City,  and  can  only  be  properly  considered  in  connection  with  the  waters 
they  unite.  As  a  waterway  for  commerce  this  estuary  has  the  advantage  of 
the  Thames  in  the  far  less  inconvenience  arising  from  the  rise  and  fall  of 
tides,  in  the  Thames  sometimes  equal  to  twenty-one  feet,  occasioning  great 
expense  in  the  construction  of  storehouses,  and  in  handling  goods  to  be  loaded 
and  unloaded. 

"The  tides  on  the  Harlem  rise  about  six  feet.  It  has  the  advantage  of  the 
Seine  by  reason  of  its  easy  debouchment  into  both  rivers.  The  falls  of  rain 
that  sometimes  suddenly  swell  the  Seine,  occasioning  great  inconvenience, 
have  no  important  effect  on  the  Harlem. 

"At  a  small  cost  in  comparison  with  the  accruing  benefit,  a  channel  can  be 
made  from  the  North  Eiver  to  Long  Island  Sound,  through  the  Harlem  River, 
with  greater  depth  of  water  that  the  North  River  aflfords  at  some  points 
between  this  City  and  Albany,  and  of  width  sufficient  for  all  the  practical 
purposes  of  the  commerce  that  will  seek  to  use  it. 

"The  importance  of  measures  for  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  this 
river,  was  made  the  subject  of  a  general  communication  to  the  Board  in  the 
year  1865.  It  has  since  been  brought  to  more  general  notice,  and  is  begin- 
ning to  command  the  attention  of  landowners  in  New  York  and  in  Westchester 
County,  as  it  should,  and  sooner  or  later  will,  that  of  the  public  authorities 
of  both  counties,  and  of  the  State,  as  it  concerns  deeply  a  large  portion  of  the 
commerce  of  the  interior. 

"Without  again  detailing  the  results  to  be  anticipated  from  such  an  im- 
provement, it  is  sufficient  to  repeat  that  it  will  shorten  the  distance  of  the 
travel  between  the  North  River  and  the  waters  of  the  Sound,  and  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn  lying  on  the  East  River,  and  between  the 
North  River  and  the  Eastern  States  by  more  than  twenty  miles  around  the 
Battery  of  the  tedious,  expensive,  and  unsafe  navigation  of  the  crowded  waters 
that  skirt  the  city ;  and,  in  connection  with  the  improvement  proposed  at  Hell 
Gate,  will  increase  the  facilities  of  foreign  traffic  by  the  Sound. 

"As  early  as  the  year  1700,  these  waters  of  the  Harlem  and  Spuyten  Duyvil 


36 


New  York:  T/ie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


were  respected  as  a  navigable  stream.  It  is  on  record  tliat  tlie  first  bridge 
across  tliem  was  a  drawbridge  at  or  near  the  site  of  the  present  King's 
Bridge,  erected  by  Frederick  Philiipse,  i:)rior  to  that  year. 

"Recent  surveys  made  under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Central  Park,  establish  the  fact  that  prior  to  artificial  obstructions  in  the 
river  near  King's  Bridge  for  the  erection  of  a  watermill,  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  the  channel  near  that  point  at  the  narrowest  ijart 
of  the  river,  must  have  been  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  width,  and  at 
least  sis  feet  deep  at  high  water  of  ordinary  tides.  It  has  been  reduced  by 
artificial  methods  to  its  present  width,  at  the  same  point,  of  not  exceeding 
eighty  feet. 

"Between  King's  Bridge  and  the  East  River,  navigation  was  obstructed  by 
Macomlj's  Dam  and  Harlem  Bridge  in  the  jsresent  century.  It  was  after- 
wards threatened  with  a  more  formidable  barrier  in  a  bridge  proposed  to  be 
built  to  carry  over  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  the  erection  of  which  was  resisted 
by  citizens  both  of  Westchester  and  New  York,  at  whose  instance  the  Legis- 
lature, in  the  year  1839,  passed  an  act  limiting  the  obstructions  to  those  pre- 
sented by  the  High  Bridge. 

"The  gentlemen  who  so  successfully  resisted  the  attempt  to  obstruct  navi- 
gation by  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Bridge,  also  took  measures  to  prevent  its 
further  obstruction  by  a  bridge  at  the  Second  Avenue,  and  to  remove  Macomb's 
Dam,  and  cause  draws  to  be  constructed  in  the  bridges  at  the  Third  and 
Fourth  Avenues. 

"In  the  proceedings  before  the  courts  relating  to  this  matter,  it  was  shown 
that  prior  to  the  year  1813,  the  Harlem  River  was  regularly  navigated  as  far 
up  as  Farmer's  Bridge  by  vessels  carrying  various  kinds  of  produce,  lumber 
and  other  building  materials.  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  is  now  navigated  by 
North  River  sloops  and  other  vessels,  from  its  mouth  to  within  a  few  yards  of 
King's  Bridge. 

"In  the  case  of  'Renwick  ?;s.  Morris,'  in  the  Court  for  the  Correction  of 
Errors,  aftirming  the  judgment  of  the  Supreme  Court,  it  was  held  that  Ma- 
comb's Dam,  as  constructed,  was  a  public  nuisance,  liable  to  abatement, 
although  it  has  existed  as  such  for  over  twenty  years  on  a  navigable  river. 
This  waterway  affords  advantages  of  navigation  for  a  distance  of  over  five 
miles  to  each  county,  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  those  furnished  by  the  North 
River  and  Long  Island  Sound  to  the  rest  of  the  County  of  Westchester. 

"It  cannot  be  doubted  that  great  benefits  would  result  to  both  counties,  if 
the  navigation  of  these  waters  were  properly  improved.  But  this  improvement 
cannot  be  well  done,  if  it  even  can  be  done  at  all,  by  the  separate  powers  of 
each  county.  The  method  of  proceeding  would  probably  be  to  build  bulk- 
heads on  both  sides  of  the  channel  opposite  each  other  at  the  same  time,  and 
deposit  the  material  which  must  be  dredged  from  the  channel  behind  both 
lines  of  bulkhead  in  proper  proportions.  When  the  obstructions  at  King's 
Bridge  are  reached,  the  whole  width  of  the  river  may  be  closed  for  a  distance 
of  about  1,500  feet,  the  water  pumped  out,  the  rock  in  its  bed  blasted, 
and  the  material  removed  for  the  whole  required  width  and  depth  by  one  set 
of  employees ;  walls  are  then  to  be  built  on  both  sides,  and  fendered  and 
secured  before  opening  the  river  again.  It  is  not  possible  to  do  this  work  by 
piecemeal — it  must  be  done  as  a  whole,  and  to  be  well  done,  it  must  be  done 
under  one  authority. 

"It  is  au  undertaking  in  which  the  public  not  merely  on  the  banks  of  the 


Mr.  Green's  Historic  Communication  of  1868. 


37 


river,  but  over  a  very  wide  extent,  is  greatly  interested ;  as  things  now  stand, 
diiferent  jurisdictions  and  forms  of  municipal  government,  through  all  the 
territory  immediately  affected  and  to  be  directly  benehted,  will  very  much 
embarrass  its  accomplishment.  It  is  doubtful  whether  it  can  be  satisfactorily 
carried  out  by  any  private  company,  and  without  the  provision  by  intelligent 
legislation,  of  adequate  means  intrusted  to  some  competent  body  duly  author- 
ized thereto ;  to  invest  any  private  company  with  the  right  to  exclude  vessels 
from  passing  through  this  waterway,  except  upon  pa\  ment  of  tolls,  would  be 
open  to  great  objection. 

"The  problems  to  be  solved  for  all  time,  are  those  of  the  accommodation  by 
the  most  improved  modern  methods,  of  traffic  across  the  river,  and  of  traffic 
on  the  river,  so  that  each  shall  not  interfere  with  the  other. 

"The  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  river  is  one  subject  and  the 
method  of  carrying  persons  across  it  another.  Having  alluded  to  the  former, 
the  other  question,  that  of  crossing  the  river,  remains  to  be  briefly  considered. 

"Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  bridge  and  tunnel  communication  that  will 
ultimately  be  required  between  New  York  and  Westchester  may  be  obtained 
from  the  experience  of  the  cities  of  London  and  Paris. 

"There  are  now  in  London  seven  bridges  across  the  Thames,  devoted  to 
ordinary  traffic,  and  three  exclusively  for  railways,  within  the  distance  of 
three  miles,  beginning  at  the  east;  they  are  as  follows:  London  Bridge, 
Southwark  Bridge  for  general  traffic,  and  at  a  distance  of  1,450  feet  from  the 
former,  between  these,  is  a  railway  bridge ;  the  next  is  Blackfriar's  Bridge, 
at  a  distance  of  2,450  feet  from  Southwark  Bridge ;  another  railway  bridge 
lies  between  the  two  last  named ;  then  comes  Waterloo  Bridge,  at  2, 900  feet 
from  Blackfriar's  Bridge;  then  Westminster  Bridge,  3,150  feet  from  Waterloo 
Bridge,  with  another  railway  bridge  between  tliem ;  next  is  Lambeth  Bridge, 
distant  from  Westminster  Bridge,  2,250  feet,  and  is  followed  by  Vauxhall 
Bridge,  2,700  feet  further  up  the  river,  and  near  the  limit  of  dense  popula- 
tion; beyond  these  are  Chelsea  and  Battersea  Bridges,  each  at  intervals  of  a 
little  over  a  mile. 

"These  bridges  vary  in  length  from  708  feet  to  1,380  feet,  and  are  of  vari- 
ous widths. 

"Less  than  a  century  ago  the  only  bridges  over  the  Thames  within  the 
above  limits,  were  Old  London,  Blackfriar's  and  Westminster.  Since  then, 
Old  London  Bridge  has  been  removed  as  inadequate  for  the  modern  travel, 
and  New  London  Bridge  built  near  the  site  of  the  old  one :  Blackfriar's  and 
Westminster  have  been  improved  and  rebuilt,  and  all  the  others  newly  con- 
structed. In  building  the  New  London  Bridge  and  the  others,  very  great 
expense  was  incurred  for  opening  the  new  streets  and  approaches  to  them,  and 
great  delay  incurred  thereby.  Most  of  these  bridges  are  designed  upon  an 
extensive  and  magnificent  scale  as  to  the  extent  of  the  accommodation  afforded, 
and  are  works  of  engineering  skill  and  architectural  beauty.  It  is  stated  that 
the  cost  of  the  New  London  Bridge  and  the  approaches  to  it,  over  thirty  years 
ago,  was  £2,000,000,  or  about  $14,000,000  of  United  States  currency.  In 
addition  to  the  bridges  mentioned,  the  opposite  banks  of  the  Thames  are 
connected  by  the  Thames  Tunnel,  at  the  distance  of  about  two  miles  below 
London  Bridge. 

"Within  the  limits  of  the  City  of  Paris,  the  river  Seine  is  crossed  by 
twenty-six  bridges  in  the  distance  of  seven  and  a  half  miles,  including  the 


38 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


number  which  cross  both  of  the  channels  passing  the  Isle  of  St.  Louis  and 
Isle  de  Palais. 

"Seven  of  these  bridges  are  suspension,  three  are  of  iron  on  stone  piers, 
one  is  of  wood,  and  the  rest  are  of  stone;  their  length  varies  from  170  feet 
to  460  feet,  and  their  breadth  from  fifteen  to  eighty -three  feet;  two  of  them 
are  for  foot  passengers  only,  and  two  exclusively  for  railways. 

"Twelve  of  the  bridges  are  less  than  1,000  feet  distant  from  the 
nearest  bridge  to  them.  Between  fourteen  of  them,  the  distance  is  less  than 
2,000  feet  each,  and  the  greatest  distance  between  any  two  of  them  is 
but  4,700  feet.  Many  of  them  are  most  elaborate  and  elegant  struc- 
tures, and  were  erected  at  great  cost;  in  both  London  and  Paris 
several  of  these  bridges  were  built  by  private  enterprise,  and  profit 
derived  from  tolls  collected  for  passing ;  but  of  late  they  have  mostly  been 
built  as  free  bridges  at  the  expense  of  the  municipalities,  and  several  of  the 
bridges  that  formerly  were  toll  bridges  have  been  made  free. 

"Whenever  the  population  of  New  York  and  Westchester  shall  assume  the 
density  on  the  shores  of  the  Harlem  River  and  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  which 
that  of  London  has  on  the  Thames,  and  Paris  on  the  Seine,  the  means  of 
communication  must  be  fully  equal  to  that  afforded  across  the  Thames  and 
Seine,  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  general  traffic  over  bridges 
crossing  the  Thames  and  Seine  is  not  obstructed  by  draws  and  openings. 

"The  length  of  the  waterway  from  the  North  Eiver  to  Little  Hell  Gate, 
measured  through  the  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  and  the  Harlem  River,  is  about 
39,000  feet — nearly  eight  miles.  The  average  distance  between  bridges  for 
general  traffic  in  London  is  2,100  feet,  and  in  Paris,  1,500  feet. 

"The  average  distance  of  those  in  London  would  give  nineteen,  and  of 
those  of  Paris  nearly  twenty-five  for  equal  accommodation  across  the  Harlem 
River  and  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  to  the  East  River,  and  their  length,  except- 
ing those  that  may  be  built  on  the  suspension  plan,  would  probably  vary  from 
250  to  600  feet. 

' '  If  the  City  of  New  York  and  Long  Island  shall  hereafter  be  connected  by 
bridges,  the  distance  between  Ward's  Island  and  the  Battery  would  require 
twenty -two  of  them,  if  they  crossed  as  frequently  as  in  London ;  and  thirty, 
if  they  were  built  as  near  each  other  as  in  Paris. 

"The  construction  of  proper  approaches  to  tunnels  under  the  Harlem  River 
would  be  much  easier  than  in  London,  because  the  average  rise  and  fall  of 
tide  is  nearly  fourteen  feet  less  in  New  York  than  in  London,  and  that  differ- 
ence in  grade  alone  would  be  very  beneficial  if  equal  size  of  tunnel  and  depth 
of  channel  were  maintained  in  both  cities. 

"The  width  of  the  Seine  through  the  City  of  Paris  is  from  100  to  600  feet. 

"The  width  of  the  Thames  through  the  City  of  London  is  from  870  to 
1,200  feet. 

"The  width  of  Harlem  River  and  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  between  New 
York  and  Westchester,  is  from  200  to  450  feet. 

' '  The  width  of  the  East  River  between  the  pier-head  lines  of  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  is  from  1,200  to  2,500  feet. 

' '  The  width  of  the  North  River,  between  New  York  and  New  Jersey  is  from 
2,700  to  4,000  feet  between  the  pier-head  lines. 

"In  various  reports,  discussions,  affidavits  and  remonstrances  on  the  subject 
of  the  improvement  of  the  Harlem  River,  and  in  relation  to  the  removal  of 


I 


VIEW  OF  THE  GREAT  Ji U 1 1,1  )l XGS  UF  JaAVKK  MANHATTAN 


:OM  THK  BROOKhYX  TKU.MINTS  <)I'"  THE  EAST  RIVER  BRIDGE. 


n 


Mr.  Green's  Historic  Communication  of  1868. 


43 


obstructions  to  navigation,  much  stress  has  been  laid  on  the  fact  that  even 
draw  or  swing  bridges  add  greatly  to  the  expenses  of  transportation. 

"These,  with  other  considerations  of  a  public  character,  would  suggest  the 
desirability,  whenever  practicable,  of  constructing  tunnels  in  lieu  of  bridges. 

"From  the  East  Eiver  to  Macomb's  Dam  the  shores  of  the  Harlem  Eiver 
are  too  flat  to  admit  of  the  easy  construction  of  aerial  or  suspension  bridges, 
but  are  thought  to  be  fairly  adajjted  to  the  construction  of  tunnels  under  the 
river  bed,  at  such  depth  as  would  not  impede  navigation. 

"From  High  Bridge  to  Sherman's  Creek,  aerial  or  suspension  bridges 
might  be  built  at  as  great  altitude  as  the  High  Bridge  of  the  Croton  Aque- 
duct, and  again  from  Sherman's  Creek  to  the  North  River,  tunnels  could  be 
constructed  under  or  bridges  over  the  river  and  creek  wherever  crossing  from 
shore  to  shore  was  shown  by  i^roper  topographical  examination  of  the  two 
counties  to  be  required. 

"In  determining  the  height  of  bridges,  it  should  be  remembered  that  steam 
vessels  are  rapidly  supplanting  sailing  vessels,  and  that  therefore  the  con- 
struction of  bridges  to  accommodate  lofty  masts  is  a  constantly  diminishing 
necessity,  and  that  by  the  striking  of  the  topmasts  and  topgallant  masts, 
many  sailing  vessels  might  be  accommodated  with  diminished  height  of  bridge. 

"The  subject  of  the  sewerage  of  the  northern  part  of  New  York  Island  and  all 
the  southwestern  part  of  Westchester  is  one  in  which  the  citizens  of  both  places 
are  equally  interested,  and  should  be  arranged  under  one  homogeneous  system. 

"The  amount  of  sewage  and  offal  which,  without  proper  regulation,  would 
be  cast  into  the  Harlem  Eiver  from  either  or  both  shores,  would,  by  reason  of 
the  limited  width  of  the  river,  be  likely  to  be  injurious  to  the  healthfulness  of 
both,  and  detrimental  to  navigation. 

"Immense  outlays  are  now  making  to  free  the  Thames  from  the  noxious 
effects  of  the  city  sewage ;  measures  for  the  same  purpose  should  be  under- 
taken at  the  Harlem  Eiver. 

"The  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water  in  Westchester  is  another  sub- 
ject demanding  early  attention,  in  order  that  the  wants  of  her  increasing  pop- 
ulation may  be  met  at  the  proper  time. 

"It  is  problematical  whether  the  supply  of  water  that  can  be  drawn  through 
the  Croton  Aqueduct,  after  the  immense  storage  reservoirs  now  building  in 
Putnam  County  are  completed,  will  be  more  than  the  City  of  New  York,  with 
its  present  limits,  will  ultimately  requre  under  rigid  rules  to  prevent  waste.  ^ 

"It  is  certain  that  much  of  the  land  in  the  southern  part  of  Westchester  is 
too  highly  elevated  to  be  able  to  draw  water  from  the  Croton  Aqueduct  if  the 
supply  were  enough  to  warrant  it,  yet  a  judicious  arrangement  of  the  means 
and  resources  now  unused  in  Westchester,  in  combination  with  the  use  of 
such  portion  of  the  surplus  of  the  Croton  Water  as  the  season  might  afford, 
would  be  productive  of  immediate  benefit  to  property  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  and  very  much  hasten  its  occupancy. 

"The  Bronx  and  Saw  Mill  Elvers  are  the  only  resources  that  are  likely  to 
be  availed  of  for  the  supply  of  water  to  the  lower  part  of  Westchester  County, 
and  the  supplies  that  they  will  afford  should  be  secured  and  devoted  for  such 
purposes  at  as  early  a  period  as  possible,  and  before  the  banks  of  those 
streams  are  occupied  with  establishments  that  will  pollute  the  waters  and 
render  the  streams  unfit  for  use,  except  at  the  great  expense  of  buying  off 
this  class  of  occupancy. 

"From  the  period  when  the  question  of  supplying  New  York  City  with 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


pure  water  first  occupied  tlie  public  mind,  uutil  the  year  1841,  when  the 
Croton  water  -was  finally  introduced,  more  than  half  a  century  elapsed,  and 
various  projects  were  entertained  and  discussed. 

"The  Collect  Pond,  in  this  city,  Artesiau  Wells,  the  Bronx  and  Saw  Mill 
Eivers,  the  Housatonic  Eiver,  and  the  Croton  each  had  their  advocates,  as 
well  as  the  Passaic,  since  appropriated  for  the  supply  of  Jersey  City  and  its 
surroundings,  and  even  a  project  for  damming  the  Hudson  Eiver  opposite 
Amos  street  (now  West  Tenth  street),  making  slack  water  navigation  above 
it,  and  using  the  water  power  afforded  from  it  to  pump  a  supply  for  the  city, 
was  proposed  and  entertained. 

"During  the  time  thus  employed  in  considering  various  plans,  the  material 
interests  of  the  City  of  New  York  suffered  severely  for  want  of  pure  water  for 
her  citizens,  and  an  adequate  supply  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires,  and  large 
sums  were  expended  by  the  Manhattan  Company  in  futile  efi'orts  to  obtain  a 
supply  of  pure  water  for  domestic  purposes,  and  by  the  Corporation  of  the 
City  to  procure  a  supjjly  from  similar  sources  sufficient  for  the  use  of  the  fire 
department,  in  both  cases  unsuccessfully ;  the  probable  result  of  the  latter 
failure  was  the  disastrous  fire  of  December,  1835,  when  more  value  of  prop- 
erty was  destroyed  in  one  night  than  the  original  cost  of  the  Croton  Water 
Works. 

"The  ancient  boundaries  of  the  City  of  New  York  extend  to  low-water  mark 
on  its  opposite  and  surrounding  shores,  thus  giving  to  the  city  territorial 
jurisdiction  over  the  adjacent  rivers.  Serious  disputes  have  arisen  with  the 
State  of  New  Jersey,  and  much  trouble  occasioned  with  Brooklyn  in  regard  to 
jurisdiction  at  her  whar\'es,  as  well  as  regards  the  ferries  to  Long  Island. 

"The  question  of  ferries  across  the  North  Eiver  is  still  in  an  unsatisfactory 
condition,  each  State  claiming  the  right  to  make  laws  to  regulate  them.  The 
City  now  owns  in  Westchester  County  the  line  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  and  a 
large  area  of  land  in  Putnam  County,  for  existing  and  future  reservoirs. 

"The  building  and  maintenance  of  bridges  between  the  Counties  of  New 
York  and  Westchester  has  already  been  occasion  of  vexation  and  trouble. 
Westchester  has  claimed  that  she  ought  to  pay  only  a  portion  of  the  expense 
of  erecting  a  bridge  over  the  river,  equal  to  the  proportion  of  it  that  stands 
within  her  jurisdiction,  which  extends  only  to  low -water  mark  on  her  own 
side  of  the  river,  thus  charging  that  County  with  but  a  very  trifling  part  of 
the  whole  expense.  This,  it  is  believed,  has  been  the  basis  claimed  by  West- 
chester on  every  occasion  of  building  a  bridge  between  the  two  Counties. 

"The  laying  out  of  roads  and  bridges,  and  the  aijportioning  of  expendi- 
tures for  great  works  built  in  the  interest  of  both  Counties  and  of  the  whole 
public,  should  be  taken  out  of  the  petty  squabbles  of  small  jurisdiction,  and 
left  to  the  determination  of  some  body  with  comprehensive  powers,  capable  of 
dealing  with  these  subjects,  not  in  the  interest  of  New  York  alone,  or  of  West- 
chester alone,  but  in  that  of  both,  and  of  the  whole  public  convenience. 

"The  inconveniences  that  arise  from  the  existing  diversity  of  legislative, 
judicial  and  executive  functions,  and  of  officers  that  have  a  patched  and  piece- 
meal jurisdiction  over  divers  portions  of  the  territory  in  question,  are  daily 
experienced;  to  remedy  this  in  some  degree  it  has  been  found  deKira])le  to 
extend  the  powers  of  the  Police  Board,  and  the  Health  Board,  not  only  over 
New  York  and  Westchester,  but  over  Kings  and  Eichmond  Counties,  though 
still  at  the  different  ends  of  every  existing  bridge  over  the  Harlem,  the  police 
are  required  to  enforce  different  excise  regulations. 


Mr.  Green's  Historic  Communication  of  1868. 


45 


"To-day,  under  acts  of  the  Legislature,  passed  recently,  there  are  at  least 
seven  separate  and  independent  Commissions  engaged  in  laying  out,  -working 
and  grading  streets,  avenues  and  roads  in  the  towns  of  West  Farms  and  Mor- 
risania,  and  several  of  the  lines  of  these  roads  necessarily  intersect  each  other, 
and  the  separate  town  authorities  also  still  exercise  their  control  as  to  work- 
ing and  grading  the  remaining  streets,  without  reference  to  these  several 
Commissions. 

"It  will  be  observed  that  this  communication  is  confined  to  works  of  a 
physical  material  character,  in  which  both  Counties  have  a  common  interest 
— such  an  interest,  present  and  prospective,  as  will  be  best  fostered  by  unity 
of  development :  these  works  are  the  water  supply,  the  sewerage,  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  interjacent  waters,  the  means  of  crossing  these  waters,  and  the 
land  ways  that  should  be  laid  on  each  side  so  as  to  furnish  the  best  facilities 
for  both.  In  this  enumeration  nothing  is  included  that  will  not  be  more 
wisely  and  better  planned  and  executed  by  a  single  authority,  and  nothing 
that  proposes  any  present  change  in  political  jurisdiction,  or  that  is  calcu- 
lated to  disturb  the  functions  or  privileges  of  any  existing  officer  or  officers. 

"The  location,  building,  and  maintenance  of  bridges  or  tunnels  across  or 
under  the  river,  the  proper  times  for  doing  it,  the  improvement  of  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river,  and  the  maintenance  of  it,  and  the  proportion  of  expense  to 
be  borne  by  the  property  benefited,  can  scarcely  be  adjudicated  by  iudejx^nJ- 
ent  political  corporations,  and  the  time  that  would  be  lost  in  conferences  or 
litigations,  and  in  efforts  of  the  representatives  of  each  City  or  County  to 
throw  an  undue  portion  of  the  expense  on  the  other,  would  be  the  occasion  of 
detriment  to  the  ijrosperity  of  all  interested. 

"If  the  convenient  administration  of  the  laws  in  these  adjacent  Counties 
has  required  the  exercise  of  a  united  authority  in  certain  departments,  why 
in  the  case  of  clearer  necessity  for  unity  in  the  planning  and  building  of  these 
material  works,  should  it  be  found  difficult  to  secure  the  agencies  that  will 
insure  such  unity,  with  entire  acceptability  to  the  people  of  both  Counties, 
and  although  the  advantages  to  accrue  from  a  consolidation  of  a  portion  of 
Westchester  with  New  York  and  Brooklyn  into  one  municipality,  with  one 
executive  head,  will  force  itself  upon  the  mind,  yet  all  that  is  suggested  or 
required  in  the  material  works  above  enumerated  may  be  gained  without  such 
consolidation.  A  competent  body  may  be  constituted,  with  all  needed  powers 
for  the  purpose,  without  territorial  consolidation,  and  without  raising  those 
purely  political  considerations  which  may  be  delayed  until  the  necessity  of 
territorial  annexation  demand  immediate  attention. 

"Heretofore,  where  a  measure  has  involved  the  interest  of  both  Counties,  it 
has  been  usual  to  compose  a  body  of  citizens,  selected  from  both  Counties, 
for  its  execution ;  and  perhaps  this  would  be  the  preferable  way,  though  it 
does  not  seem  to  have  worked  very  well  on  the  Third  Avenue  Bridge.  The 
method  to  be  adopted  will  probably  be  left  to  be  determined,  so  far  as  West- 
chester is  concerned,  hy  the  wish  of  the  people  of  that  County,  as  expressed 
by  its  representatives  in  the  Legislature. 

''It  is  not  i))frihh'iJ  iiotr  fo  do  mofe  than  direct  attention  to  flie  iiiipnrfni)/  sub- 
ject of  bringinr/  tlie  ( ''ilij  ,>f  New  York  and  flie  County  of  Ki'hus,  h  of 
JVestcJiester  Coaidf/  niid  a  jxirf  of  Queens  and  Riclimond,  indudiiKj  flic  various 
suburbs  of  fiie  city  witliin  a  certain  radial  distance  from  tJte  center,  under  one 
common  municipal  government,  to  be  arranged  in  departments  under  a  single 
executive  liead. 


46 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


"It  would  not  be  difficult  to  present  reasons  for  such  a  territorial  consolida- 
tion that  will  increase  in  cogency  as  population  augments,  and  as  facilities  of 
intercommunication  are  developed  to  meet  in  some  degree  the  demand  of  this 
poi)ulation. 

"More  than  1,500,000  of  people  are  comprehended  (1868)  within  the  area 
of  this  city  and  its  immediate  neighborhood,  all  drawing  sustenance  from  the 
commerce  of  New  York,  and  many  of  them  contributing  but  little  toward  the 
support  of  its  government. 

"An  area  that  could  be  readily  described,  of  convenient  distances  from  the 
center,  would  comprehend  within  its  limits  the  residence  as  well  as  the  place 
of  business  of  most  of  its  population ;  thus  resolving  the  difficult  question  of 
taxation  of  non-residents  that  now  exists. 

"Each  department  would  be  ratably  represented  in  a  common  legislative 
assembly,  and  the  expenses  of  government  would  be  apportioned  and  borne  by 
separate  departments,  and  judicial,  police  and  sanitary  powers  executed  under 
equal  and  uniform  regulations.  The  existing  public  property  of  each  depart- 
ment would  be  left  to  be  applied  to  its  separate  indebtedness  and  improve- 
ment. 

"It  would  be  best,  at  the  outset,  to  disturb  but  few  existing  officials;  their 
offices  should  be  left  to  expire  with  time  and  with  the  general  conviction  that 
they  were  not  wanted;  all  purely  political  questions  and  jurisdictions  might 
remain  as  at  present — the  idea  being  gradually  to  bring,  without  a  shock  or 
conflict,  the  whole  territory  under  uniform  government. 

"Can  any  one  doubt  that  this  question  will  force  itself  upon  the  public 
attention  at  no  very  distant  period?  Ingenuity  is  now  taxed  to  devise 
methods  of  carrying  people  from  the  suburbs  to  the  center,  and  the  relations 
of  the  city  with  the  suburbs  are  daily  becoming  more  direct  and  immediate. 

"The  great  procession  that  continually  moves  toward  our  city  from  the  Old 
World  makes  its  first  halt  at  Staten  Island  in  Eichmond  County,  preparatory 
to  its  still  western  progress. 

"Measures  are  now  on  foot  to  unite  Brooklyn  with  New  York  by  two  mag- 
nificent bridges,  which  are  but  the  precursors  of  others,  and  which  are  to 
supplement  the  thronged  ferries.  A  system  of  capacious  ways  is  already  pro- 
jected to  connect  the  extensive  parks  that  both  municipalities  are  now  engaged 
in  adorning — each  with  its  own  characteristics  and  each  with  its  own  public 
attractions. 

"Westchester  is  demanding  ways  to  transmit  her  population  to  the  City; 
Eichmond  County,  by  her  ferries  and  railways  is  exerting  herself  in  the  same 
direction ;  all  progress  points  towards  eventual  consolidation  and  unity  of 
administration ;  the  advantage  of  an  incongruous  and  disjointed  authority 
over  communities  that  are  striving  by  all  material  methods  that  the  skill  of 
man  can  devise  to  become  one,  will  be  more  and  more  apparent,  and  the  small 
jealousies  and  petty  interests  that  seek  to  keep  them  separated  will  be  less 
and  less  effectual. ' ' 

In  none  of  the  fitful  suggestions  and  shortlived  movements  for  Consolidation 
made  before  this  time  had  the  idea  taken  the  scope  and  determination  ex- 
pressed in  Mr.  Green's  communication;  and  during  the  next  half-dozen  years 
there  was  a  very  evident  accession  of  favorable  public  sentiment,  increased, 
perhaps,  by  the  abolition  during  the  Tweed  regime  of  the  Acts  which  brought 


The  Municipal  Union  Society  of  Brooklyn. 


47 


the  Police,  Health  and  Fire  departments  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  under 
common  administrations,  and  which  were  regarded  by  many  citizens  as  a  wise 
and  beneficial  arrangement. 

In  the  year  1874  the  sentiment  in  favor  of  Consolidation  in  Brooklyn  crys- 
tallized in  the  formation  of  the  Municipal  Union  Society  of  the  City  of 
Brooklyn  and  the  County  of  Kings.  This  society,  the  pioneer  of  its  kind  in 
the  City  of  Churches,  was  organized  in  the  Directors'  Koom  of  the  Academy 
of  Music  on  February  12,  1874.  George  T.  Holt  was  temporary  President, 
and  Charles  J.  Lowrey  temporary  Secretary.  The  resolutions  of  organization 
declared  that  the  purposes  of  the  Society  were  "to  promote  in  all  proper  ways 
a  plan  of  union  of  the  City  of  New  York  with  Brooklyn  and  the  five  towns  of 
Kings  County  under  one  municipal  government — the  whole  to  be  called  the 
City  of  New  York. ' '  All  persons  friendly  to  the  movement  were  eligible  to 
membership  upon  signing  the  roll  and  paying  a  membership  fee  of  ten  dollars. 
A  permanent  organization  was  effected  br  the  election  of  Simeon  B.  Chitten- 
den, President ;  George  T.  Holt  and  Henry  Sheldon,  Vice-Presidents ;  Charles 
J.  Lowrey,  Secretary,  and  Eobert  Turner,  Treasurer.  Among  the  people 
identified  with  this  movement  were  John  Winslow,  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  Demas 
Barnes,  William  B.  Lewis,  William  Coit,  S.  B.  Dutcher,  Charles  E.  Miller, 
William  H.  Waring,  Horace  A.  Miller,  J.  W.  Van  Sicklen,  J.  K.  Ives,  Eobert 
Stranahan,  James  Frothingham,  D.  D.  Litchfield,  Samuel  McElroy,  Henry 
Coffin,  W.  W.  Goddrich,  J.  F.  Pierce,  Isaac  Howell,  Isaac  Hall,  General 
Henry  W.  Slocum,  Marcellus  Massey,  William  Marshall,  Sigismund  Kauf- 
mann,  William  H.  Taylor,  Daniel  Chauncey,  John  B.  Norris,  William  E. 
Sheldon  and  James  S.  Leeds.  Other  men  of  prominence  who  indorsed  the 
movement  were  Wm.  M.  Evarts,  Thomas  C.  Acton,  John  G.  Cisco,  Wm.  E. 
Dodge,  Joseph  H.  Choate  and  John  A.  Stewart,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Winslow, 
as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  General  Slocum,  of  the  same 
Committee,  were  especially  active  in  promoting  the  success  of  the  Society. 
On  March  24  the  Society  issued  to  the  business  men  of  New  York  a  circular 
which  had  been  drafted  at  Mr.  Chittenden's  house,  making  a  strong  argument 
in  favor  of  municipal  union.  The  petition  embodied  a  draft  of  a  bill  provid- 
ing for  a  board  of  twenty  Commissioners,  ten  from  New  York  and  ten  from 
Kings  County,  who  should  draft  a  general  plan  of  municipal  government  for 
the  two  Counties  of  New  York  and  Kings.  The  plan  which  this  Commission 
should  adopt  was  to  be  printed  and  publicly  distributed  twenty  days  before 
the  election  in  November,  1874,  at  which  time  the  plan  was  to  be  submitted 
to  popular  vote.  The  circular  announced  that  the  first  public  meeting  on  the 
subject  would  be  held  on  the  third  Tuesday  in  May,  1874,  at  noon.  At  the 
same  time  the  Society  placed  petitions  at  the  ferry  houses  and  notified 
Brooklynites  in  every  section  of  the  City  that  they  were  there.  As  a  result 
about  7,000  signatures  in  all  were  secured  and  taken  to  Albany  by  Mr.  Wins- 
low on  March  24th,  when  he  appeared  before  the  joint  session  of  the  Senate 


48 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


and  Assembly  committees  at  a  hearing  given  on  the  petition  of  the  Society. 
He  asked  for  an  Act  to  submit  to  the  peoj)le  the  question  whether  New  York, 
Brooklyn,  and  the  five  towns  of  Kings  County  should  be  united.  He  argued 
that  the  question  was  one  of  State  interest,  and  the  Legislature  was  asked  so 
to  consider  it.  As  to  the  Cities,  the  union  was  proposed  as  a  case  of  joint 
benefit.  New  York  would  be  benefited  by  the  prestige  that  would  come  from 
a  large  population.  Brooklyn  represented  part  of  New  York's  natural  growth, 
and  by  separate  existence  deprived  New  York  of  some  of  her  rightful  position. 
Union  would  defeat  Philadelphia's  boast  that  in  a  few  years  she  would  be 
the  Metropolis  of  the  Country.  Neither  New  York  nor  Brooklyn  could  ajfiford 
to  lose  their  commercial  supremacy  by  remaining  apart.  Property  values 
would  l^e  enhanced  by  Consolidation.  New  York  required  more  storage,  ter- 
minal and  water  front  facility.  Jealousies  and  boundary  disputes  would  be 
done  away  with.  New  York  needed  the  aid,  sympathy,  intelligence  and  moral 
support  of  Brooklyn  in  her  efforts  to  secure  pure  municipal  government. 
Whatever  would  benefit  New  York  would  reflexively  benefit  Brooklyn.  They 
were  united  in  municipal  life  and  destiny.  Many  Brooklyn  residents  paid 
taxes  in  New  York  and  had  a  right  to  a  voice  in  the  government  of  New  York. 
They  were  thus  taxed  without  representation.  If  they  wanted  to  live  in  New 
York  where  they  were  taxed  they  could  not,  because  there  was  not  room  for 
them.  Kesidence  in  Brooklyn  and  business  in  New  York  tended  toward  a 
divided  allegiance.  Brooklyn  was  thus  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  the  strength 
and  wisdom  which  are  usually  found  among  large-minded,  public-spirited 
men  in  great  populations.  Brooklyn  was  mainly  a  vast  dormitory  and  a  beau- 
tiful City  of  residences,  though  having  large  manufacturing  and  commercial 
interests,  yet  without  metropolitan  features  and  appliances.  Union  would 
bring  more  efficient  and  cheaper  government,  lower  taxes  and  greater  pros- 
perity. "And  let  us  add  in  this  connection,"  said  Mr.  Winslow,  with  a 
grimly  humorous  allusion  to  the  recent  Tweed  exposures,  "that  if  it  is  to  be 
the  continued  fate  of  these  two  Cities  to  watch  original  sin  as  developed  in 
corrupt  rings,  it  will  be  easier  to  watch  one  ring  than  two."  The  examples 
of  Paris,  London,  Boston  and  Philadelphia,  in  annexing  adjacent  territory, 
were  cited,  and  it  was  argued  in  conclusion  that  what  built  up  New  York, 
equally  increased  the  importance  and  grandeur  of  the  State  and  Nation. 

Mr.  Winslow's  argument  was  not  without  opposition.  Alderman  Fisher, 
of  Brooklyn  objected  that  those  who  favored  Consolidation  had  not  presented 
the  subject  to  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn.  He  argued  that 
he  could  not  find  anybody  who  favored  the  proposition,  and  that  the  absence 
of  Brooklyn's  influential  public  men  from  an  important  debate  like  this  was 
proof  that  the  public  did  not  favor  it.  He  claimed  that  the  Brooklyn  Bridge 
was  the  most  important  question  just  then,  and  that  if  Consolidation  ques- 
tions were  brought  up  before  the  people  at  that  time,  they  would  surely  bo 


Failure  of  the  Movement  of  1874. 


49 


defeated.  Harvey  Farrington  argued  that  tlie  question  should  be  referred  to 
the  people. 

The  result  of  this  attempt  was  practically  the  same  as  before.  The  As- 
sembly passed  the  Act  but  the  Senate  defeated  it.  Public  sentiment,  as  ex- 
pressed in  the  newspapers  at  the  time,  showed  the  same  predilection  in  favor 
of  union  on  the  part  of  New  York,  and  the  same  opi)osition  on  the  part  of 
Brooklyn.  That  the  sentiment  in  New  York  was  far  from  unanimous,  how- 
ever, appears  from  a  movement  in  opposition  to  municipal  union  which  sprang 
up  at  this  time,  and  manifested  itself  in  a  meeting  held  at  the  office  of  William 
H.  Eadnor,  No.  5  Pine  Street,  on  April  18,  1874,  at  which  Llewellyn  F. 
Barry  was  elected  President,  and  James  H.  Godwin,  Secretary.  The  organi- 
zation represented  a  number  of  property  owners  who  adopted  resolutions 
opposing  Consolidation,  and  appointed  a  Committee  to  wait  on  Mayor  Have- 
meyer. 

But  while  annexation  was  strongly  opposed,  and  for  the  time  being, 
defeated  on  the  east,  the  movement  progressed  more  favorably  on  the  north. 
In  1873  Kingsbridge,  West  Farms  and  Morrisania  were  annexed  to  the  City 
of  New  York,  forming  part  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Ward.  The  other  major 
portions  of  the  present  Borough  of  Bronx  were  annexed  to  New  York  in  1895, 
all  of  them  going  into  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty -fourth  Wards.  In  1889 
Mr.  Green  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Legislature  a  bill,  having  for  its 
object  the  appointment  of  a  commission  to  make  inquiry  as  to  whether  Con- 
solidation was  expedient  or  not.  It  proposed  nothing  final,  but  simply 
authorized  an  official  examination  into  the  subject.  The  bill  passed  the 
Assembly,  and  through  the  various  steps  of  legislation  in  the  Senate,  but  in 
the  last  hours  of  the  session  failed  to  reach  a  third  reading. 

There  is  something  in  the  successive  failures  of  this  project,  and  the  deter- 
mined persistency  of  its  advocates  to  make  it  succeed,  that  reminds  one  of  the 
repeated  disasters  encountered  in  laying  the  Atlantic  cable,  and  the  indomi- 
table courage  with  which  Cyrus  W.  Field  maintained  his  convictions  and 
secured  his  ultimate  triumph.  Mr.  Field  contended  with  great  physical 
obstacles  to  unite  two  distant  hemispheres,  but  what  the  Consolidation 
problem  lacked  in  geographical  or  physical  magnitude  it  possessed  in  moral 
perplexity.  The  Consolidationists  had  to  overcome  a  strong  popular  prej- 
udice, which  is  often  more  potent  than  a  physical  obstacle,  and  they 
did  eventually  overcome  it.  The  signs  were  growing  favorable.  The  Act  of 
1889  was  lost  by  a  narrow  margin,  and  in  1890  the  proposition  was  renewed. 
Under  date  of  March  4,  1890,  Mr.  Green  addressed  a  memorial  to  the  Legis- 
lature which  was  another  example  of  the  clear  and  forcible  style  which  give 
his  communications  the  character  of  state  papers.  He  began  diplomatically 
by  declaring  that  the  purpose  of  his  memorial  was  not  to  hasten  the  future 
which  was  rapidly  approaching,  but  to  prepare  to  meet  it  with  a  proper  sense 
of  the  duties  and  responsibilities  which  the  magnitude  of  the  subject  demanded. 


50  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

Consolidation,  he  argued,  was  not  a  question  of  policy  or  plans,  but  of  prog- 
ress of  the  law  of  evolution.  Nature  took  the  first  step  in  this  direction 
when  she  grouped  Manhattan,  Staten  and  Long  Islands  in  indissoluble 
relations  at  the  mouth  of  a  great  river.  His  communication  of  1868  was 
quoted,  and  the  progress  since  made  in  the  lines  he  had  indicated  was  cited 
in  confirmation  of  his  reading  of  the  destiny  of  the  metropolis.  Beginning 
with  the  efi'acement  of  frontier  lines  of  barbaric  jurisdiction,  geographical 
boundaries  had  become  progressively  less  significant.  The  rivulet  at  Canal 
Street,  which  once  marked  the  boundary  between  different  tribes  of  a  vanished 
people,  was  first  to  be  disregarded.  The  Harlem  had  been  spanned  and  adja- 
cent territory  annexed  to  New  York.  The  Gowanus  inlet,  separating  the 
growing  cities  of  Brooklyn  and  Williamsburgh  had  been  obliterated  as  a  line 
of  political  demarcation,  and  the  two  municipalities  united.  London,  Paris 
and  Chicago  were  following  the  same  inevitable  trend.  The  existing  arrange- 
ment of  several  distinct  jurisdictions  within  one  area  of  common  interest  was 
a  travesty  upon  government.  That  those  conditions  had  prevailed  for  a  cen- 
tury without  precipitating  anarchy  was  a  marvel.  Public  disturbances  of  a 
tumultuous  character  of  actual  occurrence  were  cited  to  show  the  real  dangers 
inherent  in  the  existing  system,  and  to  illustrate  the  disposition  to  rebel 
against  dismembered  authority.  The  port's  channels  of  navigation  belonged 
in  common  to  all  the  bordering  municipalities.  To  regard  as  barriers  or 
divisional  lines  the  means  by  which  communities  met  and  mingled  was  a  mis- 
construction of  terms.  In  the  frenzy  of  riparian  acquisition  by  corporations, 
the  waterway  system  was  being  despoiled.  Absentee  capitalism,  resident  in 
Boston,  San  Francisco,  New  Orleans,  London,  Paris  and  Frankfort,  was  "tak- 
ing from  us  the  meat  of  butchered  freedom  and  leaving  us  the  skin  and  bones 
to  be  taxidermed  into  living  semblance  and  imposed  upon  our  many-headed 
municipalities  as  life,  form  and  substance  of  true  heaven-born  liberty." 
The  waters  and  atmosphere  which  penetrated  and  surrounded  the  metropolitan 
district,  and  supplied  the  conditions  which  determined  the  health  of  all  the 
communities,  required  common  authority  for  their  regulation.  As  it  was, 
each  community  was  doing  "full  duty  to  itself  in  injecting  its  smoke,  stenches 
and  sewerage  into  another  province  or  mayoralty,  so  that  some  of  our  people 
live  in  the  interchange  of  reciprocal  nuisances  or  medley  of  conglomerate 
nauseas."  The  diversity  of  existing  police  authorities  promoted  the  immu- 
nity of  the  criminal  classes  by  the  confusion  and  delay  of  legal  processes.  The 
apprehension  of  Brooklynites  that  Consolidation  meant  a  merger  of  the 
smaller  city  was  met  with  the  statement  that  their  desire  to  be  merged  was 
manifested  in  every  way  but  that  which  would  accomplish  it.  They  did  more 
business  in  New  York  courts  and  markets  than  in  their  own.  The  strength 
of  the  opposition  was  believed  to  reside  in  the  politicians  and  ofifice  holders ; 
but  they  were  comforted  with  the  assurance  that  by  Consolidation  each  section 
would  still  have  its  official  contingent  in  a  general  assemblage,  and  that  their 


Consolidation  Inquiry  Act  of  1890  Passed. 


51 


field  for  reward  and  fame  would  be  amplified.  The  mercantile  prosperity  of 
the  port  of  New  York  did  not  depend  upon  the  attractions  of  the  harbor  as  a 
shelter  for  foreign  shipping.  Foreign  commerce  was  but  an  auxiliary  to  the 
forces  of  domestic  traffic.  The  great  historic  cities  of  the  world  were  interior 
cities,  collective  and  distributive  centers  of  domestic  trade.  There  were  great 
cities  without  harbors  and  great  harbors  without  cities.  The  deduction  was 
that  the  commercial  supremacy  of  this  port  did  not  depend  so  absolutely  upon 
natural  conditions  that  it  could  not  be  diverted,  and  that  with  the  bridging  of 
the  Hudson  at  Poughkeepsie  and  elsewhere,  the  stream  of  domestic  commerce 
was  liable  so  to  be  turned  aside  that  it  would  flow  by  and  not  through  the 
gates  of  the  Metropolis.  The  port  must  now  compete  for  the  elements  of 
business  of  which  it  had  hitherto  possessed  undisputed  control.  Upon  the 
subject  of  municipal  construction,  it  was  argued  that  the  expansion  of  the 
cities  in  the  metropolitan  district  had  reached  such  a  stage  that  it  should  not 
be  permitted  to  go  further  without  unity  of  design  which  would  avoid  the 
costly  errors  of  past  experience ;  and  in  the  matter  of  government,  the  inter- 
vention of  exterior  authority  was  deprecated  and  a  larger  measure  of  home 
rule  for  one  greater  city  advocated. 

Under  the  influence  of  the  foregoing  agencies,  and  others  hereafter  to  be 
described,  the  Legislature  passed,  and  Governor  David  B.  Hill  signed,  on 
May  8,  1890,  "An  Act  to  create  a  commission  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of 
consolidating  the  various  municipalities  in  the  State  of  New  York  occupying 
the  several  islands  in  the  harbor  of  New  York. ' '  The  text  of  the  Act  is  as 
follows : 

"The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly, 
do  enact  as  follows  : 

"Section  1.  The  Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
and  not  otherwise,  shall  appoint  six  persons,  who,  with  the  State  Engineer 
and  Surveyor,  and  one  person  to  be  designated  by  each  of  the  following  named 
authorities,  namely,  the  Mayor  of  New  York,  the  Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  the 
Boards  of  Supervisors  of  Westchester,  Queens,  Kings  and  Kichmond  counties 
respectively,  shall  be  commissioners  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  consoli- 
dating the  various  municipalities  in  the  State  of  New  York  occupying  the 
several  islands  in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  to  report  from  time  to  time 
their  conclusions  thereon  to  the  Legislature,  with  such  recommendations  as 
they  may  deem  proper  and  their  reasons  therefor.  Any  vacancies  occurring 
in  the  number  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Governor,  whether  by 
failure  to  accept  such  appointment  or  otherwise,  shall  be  filled  by  the  Gover- 
nor by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  not  otherwise,  and 
vacancies  occurring  among  those  otherwise  appointed,  whether  by  failure  to 
accept  or  otherwise,  shall  be  filled  by  the  authority  by  whom  the  original 
appointment  was  made. 

"Section  2.  Said  commissioners  may  appoint  a  president,  vice-president, 
and  secretary,  and  may  employ  such  persons  as  they  deem  necessary,  and 
may  gather  such  information  and  prepare  such  maps  as  may  be  needed  to 
present  their  views  intelligently,  and  may,  with  their  report,  present  such 


52 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


bills  for  tlie  action  of  the  Legislature  as  ihey  m&y  deem  expedient.  They 
sliall  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services,  and  shall  not  be  pecuniarily 
interested,  directly  or  indirectly,  in  any  work  or  contract  concerning  their 
duty  under  this  act,  and  shall  incur  no  obligations  beyond  the  amount  author- 
ized in  the  next  section  of  this  act. 

"Section  3.  The  Board  of  Apportionment  of  the  City  of  New  York  may  ap- 
projiriate  such  sum  of  money,  not  exceeding  $5,000,  as  it  may  deem  neces- 
sary to  carry  out  the  objects  of  this  act,  and  the  Comptroller  of  said  City 
shall  pay  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  certified  by  said  commissioners  to  be 
necessary,  on  vouchers  in  form  satisfactory  to  said  Comptroller. 

"Section  4.  In  furtherance  of  the  objects  of  this  act,  the  State  Engineer 
and  Surveyor  shall,  upon  the  request  of  said  commissioners,  render  aid  and 
facilities  from  his  office,  and  the  local  officials  of  cities,  counties  and  towns, 
any  portion  of  the  territory  of  which  it  may  be  proposed  by  the  said  commis- 
sioners to  comprehend  within  one  municipal  combination,  are  authorized  and 
directed  to  furnish  said  commissioners,  when  requested  by  them,  any  infor- 
mation or  copies  of  records  within  their  respective  keeping  whenever  it  can 
be  done  without  imposing  any  additional  cost  or  expense  to  said  cities,  coun- 
ties or  towns. 

"Section  5.  This  Act  shall  take  effect  immediately." 

The  Commissioners  of  Inquiry  appointed  under  this  act  were:  JohnBogart, 
of  New  York  City,  State  Engineer ;  John  H.  Brinckerhoff,  of  Queens  County ; 
George  E.  Cathcart,  of  New  York  City ;  Frederic  W.  Devoe,  of  New  York 
City ;  Andrew  H.  Green,  of  New  York  City ;  George  William  Curtis,  of  Kich- 
mond  County ;  John  L.  Hamilton,  of  New  York  City ;  Edward  F.  Linton,  of 
Brooklyn ;  Charles  P.  McClelland,  of  Westchester  Countj' ;  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan, 
of  Brooklyn ;  Calvert  Vaux,  of  New  York  City  ;  and  William  D.  Veeder,  of 
Brooklyn. 

The  Commission  organized  by  the  election  of  Andrew  H.  Green,  Presi- 
dent; J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  Vice-President;  and  appointed  William  P. 
Bodgers  Secretary.  George  Wm.  Curtis  being  unable  to  serve,  George  J. 
Greenfield  was  appointed  to  represent  Eichmond  County.  Mr.  Bogart's 
membership  being  ex-officio,  he  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Martin  Schenck  and 
Campbell  W.  Adams,  State  Surveyors,  Mr.  Cathcart  died  in  1892,  and  J. 
Seaver  Page  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  In  1891  Mr.  Eodgers  died,  and 
Albert  E.  Henschel  was  appointed  Secretary  in  his  place.  A  glance  at  the 
biographies  of  the  Commissioners  will  show  the  character  of  the  men  to  whom 
this  perplexing  problem  was  committed  for  solution. 

John  Bogart,  consulting  engineer  of  New  Y'^ork  City,  was  the  first  of  the 
three  State  Engineers  who  served  successively  on  the  commission.  He  is 
descended  from  old  Dutch  and  English-speaking  ancestry  who  were  among 
the  active  spirits  in  the  history  of  New  York  before  and  after  Peter  Stuy- 
vesant  marched  out  of  Fort  Amsterdam.  His  early  education  was  supple- 
mented by  a  collegiate  education  at  Eutgers,  and  a  technical  course  by  which 
he  secured  the  degree  of  C.E.  In  politics  Mr.  Bogart  is  a  Democrat,  and 
was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  for  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor  in 


Personnel  of  Consolidai'ton  Inquiry  Commisxlun. 


53 


1887.  On  November  8  be  was  elected  to  tbat  office  by  virtue  of  which  he  also 
became  a  Commissioner  of  the  Land  Office,  and  a  member  of  the  Canal  Board, 
the  Board  of  State  Canvassers,  Board  of  Quarantine  Commissioners,  Com- 
missioners of  the  New  Capitol,  and  State  Board  of  Equalization  and  Assess- 
ments. His  duties  in  these  various  relations  were  so  satisfactorily  dis- 
charged that  he  was  renominated  and  re-elected  November  9,  1889.  As 
before  stated,  by  the  Act  of  1890,  creating  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Com- 
mission, he  was  made  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  Commission,  and  participated 
in  its  deliberations  during  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence.  Mr.  Bogart  is 
a  member  of  numerous  professional  and  social  organizations  in  New  York 
and  vicinity,  including  the  Holland  Society,  the  St.  Nicholas,  Century,  Engi- 
neers, University  and  Delta  Phi  Clubs,  Kutgers  Alumni  Association,  Essex 
County  Country  Club,  of  Orange,  N.  J. ,  and  the  Fort  Orange  Club,  of  Albany. 

Martin  Schenck,  who  was  elected  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor  in  November 
1891,  and  succeeded  Mr.  Bogart  for  two  years  from  January  1,  1892,  was 
born  at  Palatine  Bridge,  N.  Y.,  January  24,  1848,  and  is  of  Holland  Dutch 
extraction.  Upon  graduating  from  the  engineering  department  of  Union 
College  in  1869,  he  was  employed  as  a  locating  and  constructing  engineer  on 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad,  and  followed  his  profession  for  some 
time  in  Kansas  and  Indian  Territory.  Beturning  east  in  1872,  he  was  for  a 
time  connected  with  the  work  of  laj'ing  the  additional  tracks  on  the  New 
York  Central  &  Hudson  Eiver  Eailroad.  Between  1874  and  1880  he 
devoted  much  of  his  time  to  hydraulic  engineering  and  to  water  power  im- 
provement; in  1875  represented  the  county  of  Montgomery  in  the  Legislature; 
in  1881  and  1882  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  West  Shore  Eailroad ; 
and  from  1883  to  1894  was  continuously  engaged  in  the  New  York  State 
Canal  Department,  except  during  the  summer  seasons  of  1887  to  1891,  when 
he  was  chief  engineer  of  the  work  of  improving  the  Hudson  Eiver.  During 
1892  and  1893  he  was  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor,  which  office  he  held  until 
January,  1894.  He  was  consulting  engineer  to  the  New  York  State  Board  of 
Health  from  January,  1894,  until  June,  1895,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
office  of  City  Engineer  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  which  position  he  now  holds.  Mr. 
Schenck  has  at  various  times  been  connected  with  the  National  Guard.  His 
highest  office  was  Chief  of  Engineers,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  on 
the  staff  of  Governor  Flower.  He  is  the  author  of  numerous  papers  on  civil 
engineering  subjects,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  matter  of 
good  roads  and  canal  improvements.  As  a  member  of  the  Consolidation 
Inquiry  Commission,  he  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Consolidation  scheme. 
In  his  report  to  the  Legislature  of  1893,  he  said:  "I  am  most  firmly  con- 
vinced that  Consolidation  is  most  desirable  and  will  prove  beneficial  to  all 
the  interests  involved.  It  is  a  manifest  injustice  to  longer  deny  such  legisla- 
tive action  as  would  give  the  inhabitants  of  the  several  cities  and  towns 
interested  the  right  to  express  by  ballot  their  approval  or  disapproval  of  the 


54 


New  York:  Hie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


scheme  proposed,  and  I  would  therefore  respectfully  renew  the  recommenda- 
tions made  in  my  last  report  that  such  legislation  may  be  had  as  will  enable 
the  citizens  of  the  several  municipalities  interested  to  express  severally, 
through  the  medium  of  the  ballot,  their  views  on  this  important  subject  in  the 
freest  and  fullest  manner. ' ' 

Commissioner  Schenckwas  succeeded  on  the  Commission  January  1,  1894, 
by  the  newly  elected  State  Engineer,  Campbell  W.  Adams,  who  served  not 
only  upon  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission,  but  also  upon  the  Charter 
Commission.  His  services  are  referred  to  more  at  length  under  the  latter 
head. 

John  H.  Brinckerhoff,  who  represented  Queens  County  on  the  Com- 
mission, was  born  at  Jamaica,  N.  Y.,  November  24,  1829.  His  early 
ancestors  were  of  Flemish  extraction,  who  settled  in  Holland  in  1307.  Jores 
Dirksen  Brinckerhoff,  seven  generations  back,  came  to  New  Amsterdam  in 
1638,  and  was  the  progenitor  of  the  entire  Brinckerhoff  family  in  America. 
He  settled  in  Brooklyn  in  1646,  and  was  a  Magistrate  and  the  first  Elder  of 
the  Dutch  Church  in  Brooklyn.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Long  Island  Eailroad 
Company  in  1845  to  learn  the  trade  of  machinist  and  locomotive  engineer. 
He  followed  this  business  for  twelve  years,  served  as  foreman  of  the  shops 
three  years,  and  then  commenced  business  as  a  grocer  at  Jamaica,  in  which 
latter  occupation  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  He  has  been  Trustee 
of  Jamaica  Village,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  member  of  Board  of  Education  in 
Jamaica  Village,  Supervisor  of  the  Town  of  Jamaica  for  thirteen  years,  serv- 
ing as  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  two  terms.  He  is  the 
Treasurer  of  the  Jamaica  Savings  Bank,  and  a  member  and  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Local  Managers  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Jamaica ;  besides 
holding  responsible  positions  in  other  organizations.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  Jamaica  Lodge,  No.  546,  F.A.M.,  and  of  the  Veteran  Firemen  of  Jamaica. 
On  January  16,  1853,  he  married  Laura  Edwards,  who  died  April  20,  1891, 
leaving  three  children.  Mr.  Brinckerhoff  was  an  active  member  of  the  Con- 
solidation Inquiry  Commission,  and  supplied  the  Commission  with  statistical 
information  relating  to  the  territory  taken  from  Queens  County  for  the 
"Greater  New  York,"  besides  serving  on  committees,  and  promoting  the 
passage  of  the  bill  in  the  Legislature  creating  the  greater  City. 

George  Ehett  Cathcart  was  born  in  South  Carolina  in  1843,  and  died  in 
Newport,  K.  I.,  June  27,  1892.  His  father  died  when  he  was  yet  young, 
leaving  him  under  the  guardianship  of  Charles  G.  Memminger,  subsequently 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  the  Confederate  Cabinet.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  War  he  served  for  a  brief  period  on  the  staff  of  General  Longstreet. 
Not  being  in  sympathy  with  the  Southern  cause  he  soon  resigned  and  went  to 
Europe,  where  he  engaged  in  literary  and  legal  studies,  being  entered  at  the 
Middle  Temple.    He  returned  to  this  country  in  1865,  and  engaged  in  news- 


Personnel  of  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission. 


55 


paper  work,  first  on  the  ' '  Charleston  News  and  Courier, ' '  afterward  with  the 
"New  York  Times' '  and  the  "Springfield  Republican. "  In  1870  he  engaged  in 
the  schoolbook  business  with  Ivison,  Blakeman,  Taylor  &  Co.,  and  a  few  years 
later  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm.  When  the  American  Book  Company 
was  organized  in  1890  he  assumed  charge  of  the  Agency  Department,  which 
position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  discriminating 
literary  taste  and  liberal  culture.  While  engaged  in  the  schoolbook  business 
he  exercised  a  great  influence  on  the  publications  of  his  firm,  and  contributed 
largely  to  the  success  of  important  literary  works.  In  politics  Mr.  Cathcart 
was  a  Republican,  and  was  at  one  time  President  of  the  Republican  Organi- 
zation of  the  Old  Twenty -first  Assembly  District.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  Republican,  New  York  Athletic,  Players,  and  the  Aldine  Clubs. 
He  was  married  in  1866  to  a  daughter  of  the  late  Prof.  James  J.  Mapes.  Upon 
his  death  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission  passed  resolutions  of  regret. 

J.  Seaver  Page,  Mr.  Cathcart' s  successor  on  the  Commission,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  and  received  a  higher  education  in  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York.  Soon  after  his  graduation  from  college  he  entered  mercantile 
life,  and  by  his  progressive  ideas  and  business-like  methods  forged  ahead 
rapidly  until  he  attained  the  position  which  he  has  held  for  many  years,  that 
of  Vice-President  of  the  F.  W.  Devoe  &  C.  T.  Raynolds  Co.,  one  of  the 
largest  paint,  varnish  and  drug  houses  of  the  world.  From  his  youth  Mr. 
Page  has  had  a  taste  for  public  activity.  In  college  he  displayed  marked 
oratorical  ability  which  he  exercised  conspicuously  in  his  maturer  years.  In 
Presidential  and  lesser  campaigns,  his  voice  was  one  of  the  most  welcomed 
and  influential  on  the  platforms  of  the  Republican  party,  and  as  an  after- 
dinner  speaker  he  has  an  enviable  reputation.  This  gift  of  Mr.  Page's  has 
freely  been  exercised  in  behalf  of  the  benevolent  organizations  of  New  York, 
for  whom  he  has  been  instrumental  in  raising  large  sums  of  money.  For 
many  years  he  was  an  enthusiastic  devotee  of  out-door  sports,  giving  much 
time  to  baseball  affairs,  pigeon  shooting  and  other  American  sports.  In  club 
life  he  has  been  an  active  factor  of  the  Country,  Larchmont  Yacht,  Westmin- 
ster Kennel,  Fulton,  Reform,  Republican  and  New  York  Athletic  Clubs,  the 
St.  Nicholas  Society,  the  Leiderkranz,  and  the  Union  League,  of  which  latter 
he  was  Secretary  for  several  years.  He  is  deeply  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  public  schools,  and  for  many  years  was  School  Trustee  in  his 
district.  When  the  subject  of  municipal  union  came  prominently  before  the 
public,  it  found  in  him  an  ardent  advocate,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mission in  place  of  Mr.  Cathcart  his  zeal  in  favor  of  Consolidation  was 
unflagging. 

Frederick  William  Devoe,  member  of  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commis- 
sion, is  a  native  of  New  York  City,  where  he  was  born  January  26,  1828.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  Devoe  and  Sophia  Farrington,  and  a  descendant  of  Fred- 
erick de  Veaux,  of  France,  a  Huguenot  refugee  who  came  to  New  York  in 


56 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


1675.  The  pioneer  ancestor  was  a  large  landed  proprietor,  owning  extensive 
estates  on  Manhattan  Island  and  in  Morrisania  and  New  Eochelle.  Frederick 
William  Devoe  received  private  tuition  until  he  entered  his  teens,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  his  brother  Isaac,  in  Spottswood, 
N.  J.  About  the  year  1845  he  returned  to  New  York  and  entered  the  estab- 
lishment of  Jackson  &  Bobbins,  dealers  and  brokers  in  drugs,  paints,  var- 
nishes and  oils,  and  thus  formed  his  first  connection  with  the  line  of  business 
with  which  his  name  has  since  been  conspicuously  identified.  For  four  years, 
beginning  in  1848,  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Bulter  &  Kaynolds,  dealers 
in  the  same  line,  and  in  1852  he  joined  with  Mr.  Raynolds  in  forming  the 
firm  of  Eaynolds  &  Devoe.  In  1864  the  concern  was  reorganized  and  became 
F.  W.  Devoe  &  Co. ,  and  won  a  world-wide  reputation  with  their  specialty  of 
refined  petroleum  called  "Devoe's  Brilliant  Oil."  In  1890  the  firm  of  F.  W. 
Devoe  &  Co.  was  incorporated,  with  Mr.  Devoe  as  President  and  Treasurer, 
and  in  1892  the  F.  W.  Devoe  &  G.  T.  Kaynolds  Co.  was  formed,  with  Mr. 
Devoe  in  the  same  position.  Mr.  Devoe  has  never  been  a  political  seeker, 
but  has  had  several  public  honors  and  responsibilities  conferred  upon  him. 
Mayor  Cooper  appointed  him  a  Commissioner  of  Education  in  1880,  and 
Mayors  Edson,  Hewitt  and  Grant  successively  reappointed  him  to  the  posi- 
tion in  which  he  did  a  great  deal  to  promote  the  establishment  of  industrial 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  in  the  cit3\  In  1890  Governor  Hill  appointed 
him  a  Trustee  of  the  Homeopathic  Hospital  for  Insane  at  Middleto•^^^l.  He 
is  now  a  Trustee  of  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College  and  Hos- 
pital, President  of  the  New  York  Juvenile  Asylum,  and  Warden  of  the  P.  E. 
Church  of  Zion  and  St.  Timothy.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Holland,  St. 
Nicholas,  and  Microscopical  Societies,  Scientific  Alliance  and  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History.    He  was  married  in  1853. 

George  William  Curtis,  journalist  and  author,  was  born  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  February  24,  1824.  Through  his  father,  George  Curtis,  a  business 
man,  he  was  descended  from  Ephraim  Curtis,  the  first  settler  of  Worcester, 
Mass.,  and  through  his  mother  from  public  spirited  ancestry  which  included 
his  grandfather,  James  Burrill,  United  States  Senator  and  Chief  Justice  of 
Rhode  Island.  In  1838  his  father  moved  to  New  York  and  the  son  was  put 
in  a  way  to  obtain  a  business  training,  but  commercial  life  was  not  to  his 
tastes,  and  in  1842,  with  a  brother,  he  joined  the  famous  Brook  Farm  com- 
munity at  West  Roxbury,  Mass.  After  this  experiment,  he  spent  a  year  and 
a  half  at  Concord,  Mass.,  tilling  the  soil.  In  1846  he  went  abroad  and  spent 
four  years  in  study  and  travel  in  Europe,  Egypt  and  Syria.  Returning  in 
1850,  he  joined  the  editorial  staff  of  the  "New  York  Tribune."  His  literary 
productions  during  the  next  three  years  won  him  great  reputation,  and  in 
1853  he  became  one  of  the  editors  of  "Putnam's  Magazine."  When  the  pub- 
lishers of  the  latter  failed  in  1857,  Mr.  Curtis  began  to  contribute  regularly 
to  "Harper's  Weekly, ' '  of  which  he  eventually  became  editor-in-chief.  A  decade 


WILLIAM   D.   VEEDER.  ALBERT  E.  HENSCHEL. 


1 

lit 


Personnel  of  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission. 


59 


later,  "Harper's  Bazar"  opened  another  channel  for  his  prolific  and  delightful 
literary  genuis.  From  1853  to  1873  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  lyceum 
lecturers  of  the  da3',  and  he  was  a  political  orator  of  great  force,  esijecially 
when  attacking  slavery.  Although  an  active  Republican,  he  never  sought  and 
repeatedly  declined  public  office,  even  the  post  of  Minister  to  England  failing 
to  tempt  him  during  Hayes'  administration.  He  did,  however,  accept  from 
President  Grant  an  appointment  to  the  National  Civil  Service  Commission, 
and  did  much  to  advance  reforms  in  civil  service  of  the  Government.  As  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Regents  and  as  President  of  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art  for  many  years,  he  contributed  largely  to  the  advancement  of 
education,  the  arts  and  sciences  in  New  York  State  and  City.  In  1856  he 
married  Anna,  daughter  of  George  Francis  Shaw.  His  inability  to  serve 
deprived  the  Commission  of  one  whose  wide  experience  and  broad  views  would 
have  been  of  great  value  in  its  deliberations.  In  the  midst  of  the  struggle  for 
an  end  in  which  he  was  deeply  interested,  he  died  of  cancer  of  the  stomach 
at  his  home  on  Staten  Island,  August  31,  1892. 

George  J.  Greenfield,  who  was  chosen  to  represent  Richmond  County  in 
place  of  Mr.  Curtis,  was  born  in  the  City  of  New  York  (Borough  of  Man- 
hattan), on  the  14th  day  of  March,  1838.  His  father,  John  V.  Greenfield, 
and  grandfather  John  Greenfield,  were  old  residents  and  prominent  merchants 
of  this  city.  Mr.  Greenfield  was  graduated  at  the  City  College  in  1855,  and 
entered  the  ofiice  of  Lot  C.  Clark,  Esq.,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Staten  Island 
and  this  City,  and  subsequently  entered  the  State  and  National  Law  School  at 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  he  graduated  in  1859,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  the  same  year.  He  at  once  entered  into  active  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Staten  Island  and  New  York,  and  soon  became  a  leading  member  of 
the  Bar,  being  retained  on  one  side  or  the  other  of  most  of  the  important  liti- 
gations on  Staten  Island,  particularly  in  municipal  matters.  While  a  Demo- 
crat in  national  politics,  he  has  always  been  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  best 
men  for  local  offices,  irrespective  of  party,  and  in  1872,  at  the  time  of  the 
overthrow  of  the  Tweed  administration,  was  elected  by  the  citizens,  Super- 
visor of  the  Town  of  Southfield,  to  which  office  he  was  re-elected  for  three 
years  in  succession,  when  he  declined  further  re-election,  although  offered  a 
renomination  without  opposition.  During  his  administration  of  the  office  he 
effected  important  reforms,  particularly  in  the  assessment  and  collection  of 
taxes,  the  benefit  of  which  has  continued  until  the  recent  Consolidation  of 
Richmond  County  with  New  York  City.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  as  the 
representative  of  Richmond  County  on  the  Greater  New  York  Commission,  in 
place  of  George  William  Curtis,  who  could  not  serve,  and  it  was  largely  due 
to  his  energy  and  ability  that  Richmond  County  polled  the  largest  majority  for 
Consolidation  in  proportion  to  its  population  of  all  the  territory  included 
within  the  Greater  New  York.  He  organized  mass  meetings  of  the  citizens 
and  invited  full  public  discussion  and  debate  upon  the  question  with  the  result 


60 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


that  out  of  a  total  vote  of  upward  of  7,000,  there  were  but  about  1,500  votes 
in  the  negative.  At  the  time  of  the  appointment  of  the  Commissioners  to 
frame  the  Charter  in  1896,  he  was  the  choice  of  a  large  majority  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Eichmond  County,  irrespective  of  party,  as  its  representative  on  the 
Commission,  but  as  it  was  determined  by  the  appointing  power  that  the 
appointee  should  be  an  active  Republican,  he  was  not  appointed.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Staten 
Island  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Richmond  County  Country  Club. 

Edward  F.  Linton,  of  Brooklyn,  was  born  at  Mattapoisett,  Mass.,  in  1843. 
At  the  age  of  six  years  his  family  moved  to  Weymouth,  Mass.,  where  he 
passed  his  youth  and  received  an  excellent  New  England  Common  School 
education.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  went  to  the  front  in  the  Eleventh 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  after  serving  his  country  in  defense  of  the 
Union,  he  returned  home  and  entered  business.  For  many  years  the  manu- 
facture of  pyrotechnics  engaged  his  attention,  and  subsequently  he  developed 
large  banking  and  real  estate  interests.  Taking  up  his  residence  in  East  New 
York  he  became  one  of  the  most  active  public  spirits  in  the  development  of 
the  region  which  eventually  became  the  Twenty-sixth  Ward  of  Brooklyn,  and 
was  chiefly  instrumental  in  securing  the  annexation  of  that  valuable  section 
to  the  City.  Although  never  a  political  seeker  in  any  way,  his  contact  with 
Mayor  Chapin,  of  Brooklyn,  had  so  impressed  the  latter  with  his  zeal  for  the 
welfare  of  the  City  and  his  balanced  judgment,  that  the  Democratic  Mayor 
ai^pointed  him,  a  Republican,  unsought,  to  the  single  place  on  the  Consoli- 
dation Inquiry  Commission  at  his  disposal.  In  this  body  he  was  an  earnest 
worker,  and  the  author  of  many  practical  suggestions.  He  was  the  accredited 
representative  of  the  Commission  at  Albany  during  the  exciting  legislative 
struggles  of  three  years,  appearing  before  the  various  committees  having  the 
bills  in  charge,  and  giving  desired  information  to  legislators.  In  1896,  when 
the  Legislature  passed  a  bill  creating  a  Commission  for  the  investigation  of 
the  long-standing  and  vexatious  problem  presented  by  the  existence  of  steam 
locomotion  in  Atlantic  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  Mr.  Linton  was  appointed  one  of 
the  five  Commissioners,  and  became  their  Secretary.  His  experience  and 
information  were  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  Commission,  and  the  elaborate 
final  report,  prepared  by  him,  was  one  of  the  most  thorough  and  valuable  of 
its  kind  ever  presented  to  the  City  Government.  The  plan  of  the  Commission 
for  the  connection  of  lower  Manhattan  with  the  heart  of  Brooklyn,  by  tunnel 
under  East  River  and  underground  and  elevated  railroad  through  Atlantic 
Avenue,  would,  if  executed,  jilace  the  junction  of  Church  and  Cortland  streets, 
New  York,  within  twenty-four  minutes'  running  time  of  Jamaica.  Mr.  Lin- 
ton organized  the  first  bank  established  in  the  Twenty-sixth  Ward.  He  is 
also  President  and  Manager  of  the  German  American  Improvement  Company, 
which  has  conducted  real  estate  development  on  a  vast  scale  in  Brooklyn  and 
vicinity,  and,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  is  interested  in  the  Brooklyn  Real 


Personnel  of  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission. 


61 


Estate  Exchange.  Just  after  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Linton  was  married  to  an 
estimable  woman  of  Weymouth,  and  has  three  daughters,  the  eldest  two  of 
whom  are  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linton  are  both  deeply  interested  in  the 
education  of  children,  and  have  contributed  generously  thereto.  For  over 
four  years  Mrs.  Linton  maintained  with  great  success  a  free  school  for  little 
ones  called  the  Linton  Kindergarten. 

Charles  P.  McClelland,  of  Dobbs  Ferry,  was  born  in  Scotland,  December 
19,  1854,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  New  York  City  and  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  necessary 
preliminary  study  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  and  has  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  the  law  ever  since.  In  politics  he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
the  success  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  on  account  of  his  public  spirit,  was 
elected  President  of  the  village  of  Dobbs  Ferry.  In  1885  and  1886  he  was  a 
member  of  Assembly,  and  from  December,  1886,  to  March,  1890,  was  Special 
Deputy  Collector  of  Customs  in  New  York  City.  In  1891  he  again  went  to 
the  Legislature,  and  was  given  the  responsible  position  of  Chairman  of  the 
Ways  and  Means  Committee,  and  leader  of  the  Democratic  majority  in  the 
Assembly.  In  1892  and  1893  he  was  elevated  to  the  Senatorship  from  the 
old  Twelfth  District,  consisting  of  Westchester  and  Eockland  Counties,  and 
in  1886  he  was  appointed  a  Manager  of  the  Hudson  River  Hospital  for 
Insane.  He  is  still  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  with  offices  at  32  Nassau  Street,  New  York  City,  and  maintains 
social  relations  with  the  City  by  membership  in  several  prominent  organiza- 
tions, including  the  Manhattan,  Democratic,  Burns  and  Ardsley  Clubs,  and 
the  St.  Andrew's  Society. 

James  Samuel  Thomas  Stranahan,  the  most  conspicuous  exponent  of  the 
Consolidation  idea  in  Brooklyn,  is  one  of  the  most  venerable  and  venerated 
figures  in  the  history  of  that  City  and  Borough.  His  earliest  ancestor  in  this 
country  was  James  Stranahan,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  a  prosperous  farmer, 
who  was  born  in  1699,  settled  in  Scituate,  R.  I.,  in  1725,  and  subsequently 
removed  to  Connecticut.  His  fifth  son,  Samuel,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  made  his  home  in  Peterboro,  N.  Y.  Born  in  Peterboro,  N.  Y.,  April 
25,  1808,  the  span  of  James  S.  T.  Stranahan' s  individual  life  reaches  across 
three-quarters  of  the  national  existence  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
When  he  was  born,  there  were  only  seventeen  States  in  the  Union,  the  origi- 
nal thirteen,  and  Vermont,  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Ohio.  The  larger  por- 
tion of  the  area  east  of  the  Mississippi  was  yet  a  wilderness.  The  Louivsiana 
territory,  extending  in  a  great  arc  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Puget  Sound, 
had  been  acquired  from  France  but  fiA^e  years  before,  and  was  practically  terra 
incognita.  And  the  annexation  of  Texas  and  the  cession  of  the  other  exten- 
sive territory  by  Mexico  did  not  occur  until  Mr.  Stranahan  was  thirty-five  or 
forty  years  of  age.  Like  many  an  enterprising  lad  in  the  pioneer  years  of 
the  century,  who  was  gifted  with  more  than  commonplace  mental  equipment. 


62 


NeiD  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


young  Stranahan  tilled  his  father's  farm  in  summer-time  and  taught  school 
in  the  winter.  He  studied  to  become  a  civil  engineer,  and  when  he  arrived 
at  age,  went  to  the  then  Territory  of  Michigan  with  the  expectation  of  estab- 
lishing himself  in  business.  Circumstances  did  not  favor  his  plans,  and  he 
returned  to  his  native  State,  and  entered  the  wool  trade  at  Albany.  In  1832 
he  went  to  Florence,  Oneida  County,  N.  T. ,  of  which  manufacturing  village  he 
was  the  founder,  and  soon  began  to  take  part  in  public  affairs,  adopting  the 
principles  of  the  old  Whig  party.  In  1838  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legis- 
lature on  the  Whig  ticket  in  spite  of  the  naturally  Democratic  complexion  of 
his  district.  He  left  Florence  in  1840,  and  for  four  years  was  engaged  at 
Newark,  N.  J  ,  in  railroad  construction,  a  science  then  in  its  infancy.  He 
then  removed  to  the  recently-chartered  city  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has 
made  his  home  ever  since,  and  where  he  has  large  private  business  interests. 
He  is  Director  or  President  of  many  financial  institutions,  in  which  his  rare 
judgment  and  his  high  personal  integrity  have  always  been  bulwarks  of 
strength.  He  has  been  also  Manager  and  President  of  the  Union  Ferry  Com- 
pany ;  and  Manager  and  President  and  largest  stockholder  of  the  Atlantic  Dock 
Company,  whose  mammoth  docks,  built  under  his  personal  supervision,  are 
considered  the  finest  in  the  country.  Engrossing  as  his  business  cares  have 
been,  he  has  never  permitted  them  to  monopolize  his  attention  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  public  concerns ;  and  the  devotion  with  which  he  has  addressed  him- 
self to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-citizens  is  evidenced  in  the  title  of  "The 
First  Citizen  of  Brooklyn, ' '  which  is  familiarly  applied  to  him,  and  in  the 
unique  distinction  of  being  the  only  living  citizen  in  Greater  New  York  to 
whom  a  public  monument  has  been  erected.  The  latter  is  a  bronze  figure  of 
heroic  size,  modeled  by  MacMonnies,  erected  in  Prospect  Park,  June  1,  1891, 
in  recognition  of  his  exceptional  services  to  the  City  of  his  adoption.  The 
statue  represents  him  in  citizen's  dress,  standing  in  an  easy  posture.  He 
holds  his  hat  in  his  right  hand  down  by  his  side,  and  his  cane  in  his  left 
hand,  while  over  his  partly  raised  left  forearm  he  carries  his  overcoat.  The 
necessary  funds  were  raised  by  popular  subscription  in  sums  not  allowed  to 
exceed  $100.  There  was  an  interval  of  ten  years  between  his  first  and  second 
political  offices.  In  1848  he  was  an  Alderman  of  Brooklyn,  and  in  1850  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  office  of  Mayor.  In  1854  he  was  a  Whig  Eep- 
resentative  in  Congress.  He  was  a  delegate  to  both  of  the  National  Conven- 
tions that  nominated  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency,  and  a  Presidential  Elector 
in  1864.  During  the  War  he  was  chairman  of  the  Brooklyn  War  Fund  Com- 
mittee, whose  sanitary  fair  raised  $400, 000  for  the  relief  of  the  Federal  sol- 
diers. During  the  existence  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  District,  which,  from 
1857  to  1870  embraced  New  York,  Brooklyn,  and  Staten  Island,  he  was  one 
of  the  Commissioners,  and  while  serving  in  this  capacity,  appreciated  the  value 
to  both  New  York  and  Brooklyn  of  a  more  complete  consolidation  of  interests 
for  which  he  has  earnestly  striven.    Mr.  Stranahan  is  the  father  of  the 


Personnel  of  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission. 


65 


Brooklyn  Park  System,  including  Prospect  Park,  the  Eastern  and  Ocean 
Parkways,  and  the  Concourse  at  Coney  Island,  upon  which  over  §8,000,000 
were  expended  under  his  superintendence.  From  1860  to  1882  he  Tvas  Presi- 
dent of  the  Brooklyn  Park  Commission.  Another  great  public  work  with 
which  his  name  is  conspicuously  and  inseparably  connected  is  the  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  Bridge.  He  was  one  of  the  first  subscribers  to  the  stock,  was 
one  of  the  first  Board  of  Directors  organized  in  1867,  and  was  very  influential 
in  securing  financial  support  for  the  enterprise  when  courage  and  confidence 
were  necessary.  He  has  served  continuously  as  a  Bridge  Trustee  after  the 
work  came  under  the  control  of  the  two  cities,  and  in  1884  was  President  of 
the  Board.  By  those  familiar  with  bridge  affairs,  he  is  accredited  with  the 
responsibility  for  the  change  in  plan  for  the  superstructure,  by  which  the  four 
middle  trusses  in  the  main  span  were  raised  so  as  to  permit  the  passage  across 
the  railway  of  a  Pullman  car  of  ordinary  height.  This  change  involved  the 
addition  and  weight  of  about  200  tons,  which  excited  much  adverse  criticism  at 
the  time,  but  which  future  experience  is  expected  to  justify.  At  the  time  of  the 
opening  of  the  Bridge  in  1883,  Mr.  Sti-anahan's  eminent  services  were  recog- 
nized in  a  notable  complimentary  banquet,  attended  by  the  leading  citizens  of 
the  United  States.  On  this  occasion  he  delivered  a  remarkable  speech, 
referring  to  the  wedding  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  not  by  hymeneal  bonds, 
but  by  everlasting  bonds  of  steel,  and  forecasted  the  ultimate  political  union  of 
the  municipalities.  Upon  the  passage  of  the  Act  of  1890,  creating  the  Con- 
solidation Inquiry  Commission,  Mr.  Stranahan  was  made  Yice-President,  and 
has  continuously  and  most  zealoush^  worked  for  the  fusion  which  has  just 
been  effected.  The  consolidation  of  these  communities  crowns  the  last  of  Mr. 
Stranahan' s  great  and  disinterested  endeavors  in  behalf  of  his  fellow-citizens 
of  Brooklyn,  with  whose  progress  for  over  half  a  century  he  has  been 
thoroughly  identified,  and  to  direct  and  shape  whose  growth  he  has  probably 
done  more  than  any  living  person.  Mr.  Stranahan  has  twice  been  married. 
His  first  wife,  Marianne  Fitch,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  E.  Fitch,  of  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  died  in  1866.  In  1870  he  married  Miss  Clara  C.  Harrison, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  well  known  in 
Brooklyn  as  one  of  the  principals  of  an  important  private  seminary  for  young 
ladies.  Having  had  the  benefit  of  such  princesses  of  educators  as  Mary  Lyon 
and  Emma  Willard,  her  fine  natural  powers  were  fully  developed,  and  her 
great  executive  ability  has  caused  her  to  be  called  to  fill  important  positions 
in  philanthropic,  civil  and  social  relations.  She  is  a  trustee  of  Barnard  Col- 
lege, Vice-President  of  the  Alumnse  Association  of  her  Alma  Mater — the  Troy 
Female  College,  the  pioneer  in  the  higher  education  of  women — President  of 
the  State  Charities  Aid  Association  for  Kings  County,  Yice-President  Gen- 
eral of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Kevolution  for  New  York  State,  presid- 
ing at  the  national  convention  in  Washington  in  1894,  and  was  Yice-President 
of  the  New  York  State  Board  of  "Women  Managers  for  the  Columbian  Exposi- 


66 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


tion.  She  has  also  won  honor  as  an  authoress,  her  chief  work,  "A  History 
of  French  Painting, ' '  having  received  complimentary  notice  both  in  Europe 
and  America.  One  English  quarterly  gave  the  work  thirty -six  pages  of 
review.  Mrs.  Stranahan  had  been  indeed  an  helpmeet  for  her  honored  hus- 
band, and  in  full  sympathy  with  his  great  public  undertakings. 

Calvert  Vaux,  landscape  architect,  was  born  in  London,  England,  December 
20,  1824.  He  was  educated  at  the  Merchant  Tailors'  School,  London,  and 
was  an  articled  pupil  to  Lewis  N.  Cottingham,  a  well-known  architect  of  that 
city.  In  1850  he  came  to  America  as  assistant  to  A.  J.  Downing,  the 
Smithsonian  Institution's  landscape  architect,  by  appointment  from  the 
United  State  Government,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  became  Mr.  Downing' s 
architectural  partner,  with  headquarters  at  Newburgh-on-the-Hudson.  Upon 
Mr.  Downing' s  death,  Mr.  Vaux  carried  on  the  business  at  Newburgh  alone, 
and  published  his  book  on  "Villas  and  Cottages."  In  1857  he  moved  to 
New  York  City,  being  engaged  as  architect  for  the  Bank  of  New  York.  Dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life  he  was  closely  identified  with  the  development  of 
the  picturesque  aspects  of  the  metropolis.  In  partnership  with  F.  L.  Olm- 
sted, under  the  firm  name  of  Olmsted,  Vaux  &  Co.,  Mr.  Vaux,  under  the 
direction  of  Andrew  H.  Green  and  his  colleagues,  prepared  the  plans  for  Cen- 
tral Park,  which  are  to-day  the  most  conspicuous  expression  of  his  genius. 
The  Mall,  the  sunken  transverse  roads,  the  crossing  of  foot  paths  and  drives 
at  different  grades  where  made  feasible,  and  other  beautiful  and  convenient 
features  of  the  Park  which  were  parts  of  the  original  design,  have  been  sub- 
stantially adhered  to  ever  since.  With  brief  intervals  Mr.  Vaux  was  con- 
nected with  the  Park  for  forty  years.  He  also  made  plans  for  Riverside  Park, 
and  Morningside  Park,  New  York  City ;  Prospect  Park,  Brooklyn ;  parks  at 
Chicago,  111.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  for  the  grounds  about  the 
Government  Buildings  at  Ottawa,  Canada,  and  for  the  New  York  State  Reser- 
vation at  Niagara,  and  also  plans  for  many  country  places  for  prominent  men, 
among  the  number  being  W.  B.  Ogden,  in  New  York  City,  Samuel  J.  Tilden, 
in  Yonkers,  and  G.  G.  Haven,  in  Lenox.  Mr.  Vaux  was  one  of  the  archi- 
tects for  the  first  buildings  for  the  Museum  of  Art  in  Central  Park,  and  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History  in  Manhattan  Square,  in  New  York  City.  He 
also  made  the  plans  for  eleven  buildings  for  the  Children's  Aid  Society  in 
New  York.  His  latest  works  were  plans  for  downtown  city  parks  in  New 
York,  made  in  conjunction  with  Samuel  Parsons,  Jr.  He  held  many  public 
positions,  among  the  latest  being  those  of  landscape  architect  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Parks  of  New  York  City,  and  landscape  architect  to  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  State  Reservation  at  Niagara.  At  the  time  of  his  death  in 
November,  1895,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Century  Club,  National  Sculpture 
Society,  and  Municipal  Art  Society,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum 
of  Art.    In  1854  he  married  Mitry  S.  McEntee,  and  upon  his  death  left  two 


Personnel  of  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission. 


67 


sons  and  two  daughters,  C.  Bowyer  Vaux,  Downing  Vaux,  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Donaldson  and  Mrs.  J.  Lincoln  Hendrickson. 

William  Davis  Veeder,  who  represented  Kings  County  on  the  Consolida- 
tion Inquiry  Commission,  was  born  May  19,  1835,  in  Guilderland,  Albany 
County,  N.  T.,  upon  the  homestead  where  his  ancestors,  of  Old  Nether- 
lands origin,  had  lived  for  four  generations.  After  receiving  a  common 
school  and  academic  education,  and  reading  law  in  Albany,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  at  Albany,  in  1858,  and  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  Henry  Smith. 
Later  in  the  same  year  he  removed  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  soon  became 
actively  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party.  In  1865  and 
1866  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature.  In  1866  he  was  elected  Sur- 
rogate of  Kings  County,  a  position  which  he  held  for  ten  years,  and  in  which 
no  decision  of  his  was  ever  reversed.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to  the  Forty- 
fifth  Congress  by  7,286  majority  over  Col.  Cavanagh,  Independent  Democrat 
indorsed  by  the  Kepublicans.  In  1867-68,  and  again  in  1894,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Committee  from  1874  to  1882.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  Con- 
gress he  retired  from  active  political  work,  and  resximed  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  in  which  he  is  an  authority  on  constitutional  law,  and  a  specialist 
on  the  statues  referring  to  trusts,  corporations  and  wills.  Some  of  the  most 
important  and  interesting  will  litigations  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  were 
the  Stewart  will  contest,  the  contest  over  the  will  of  Mary  E.  O'Connor,  the 
prolonged  trial  which  arose  over  the  will  of  Inventor  McMahon,  the  endeavor 
to  establish  the  legality  of  the  legacies  in  the  Onderdonk  will,  and  many 
other  cases  involving  novel  and  intricate  questions  of  law.  He  was  also  coun- 
sel in  the  famous  Morey  letter  case,  and  he  secured  an  acquittal  for  City 
Treasurer  Cortland  F.  Sprague,  indicted  for  a  criminal  offense.  His  legal 
attainments  were  of  great  service  to  his  colleagues  on  the  Consolidation  In- 
quiry Commission,  and  he  was  particularly  consulted  in  relation  to  the  draft- 
ing of  the  various  bills  prepared  by  the  Commission  for  the  Legislature. 
Among  other  things,  he  contended  urgently  for  the  election  of  Corporation 
Counsel  by  the  people  instead  of  appointment  by  the  Mayor. 

Albert  E.  Henschel,  Secretary  of  the  Commission,  was  born  in  Berlin, 
Germany,  in  1862,  and  came  to  New  York  before  he  was  ten  years  old.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  and  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  At  an 
early  age  he  developed  a  taste  for  political  study,  and  delivered  speeches  in 
the  campaign  of  1876,  when  he  was  but  fourteen  years  old.  Samuel  J.  Til- 
den,  the  Presidential  candidate,  became  interested  in  him,  and  personally 
arranged  to  have  him  deliver  speeches  in  the  Democratic  cause.  His  relations 
with  Mr.  Tilden  became  friendly  and  intimate,  and  it  was  in  this  way  that 
Mr.  Henschel  gained  the  acquaintance  of  Andrew  H.  Green,  who  was  Mr. 
Tilden' s  confidential  adviser  and  faithful  friend.  Upon  leaving  college,  Mr. 
Henschel  entered  Mr.  Green's  office,  and  while  there  studied  law.    He  grad- 


68 


NeiD  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


uated  from  the  law  department  of  the  New  York  University,  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  soon,  thereafter,  appointed  Assistant 
Counsel  to  the  Corporation  of  the  City  of  New  York,  under  Henry  R.  Beek- 
man,  now  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  As  such  Assistant,  Mr.  Henschel 
rose  rapidly  in  the  esteem  of  the  Corporation  Counsel,  who  intrusted  him 
with  the  preparation  of  cases,  briefs  and  opinions  in  matters  of  high  impor- 
tance, and  put  him  in  charge  of  proceedings  for  street  and  park  openings ;  of 
which  branch  of  the  law  he  has  since  made  a  specialtj'.  In  1887  Mr.  Hen- 
schel took  the  first  steps  to  bring  about  a  practical  movement  for  securing 
uniformity  of  State  Legislation  on  the  subjects  of  marriage  and  divorce,  com- 
mercial law,  wills,  deeds,  notarial  acknowledgments,  and  other  subjects,  by 
means  of  State  Commissions.  It  has  been  declared,  in  an  address  upon  the 
subject  of  "Uniform  Laws,"  delivered  before  the  American  Academy  of  Polit- 
ical and  Social  Science,  that  "The  movement — if  successful  in  any  degree — 
would  be  the  most  important  juristic  work  undertaken  in  the  United  States 
since  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution."  In  1890,  the  State  of  New 
York,  after  three  years  of  vigorous  effort  on  Mr.  Henschel's  part,  passed  an 
act,  drafted  by  him,  providing  for  the  appointment  of  "Commissioners  for 
the  Promotion  of  Uniformity  of  Legislation  in  the  United  States."  This  act 
has  been  followed  by  similar  acts  in  more  than  thirty  States  and  two  Terri- 
tories. Mr.  Henschel  was  made  Secretary  of  the  New  York  Commission,  and 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  National  Conference  of  State  Commissions ;  which 
offices  he  has  continuously  held  up  to  the  present  time.  The  first  fruits  of 
this  imi^ortant  endeavor  have  been  the  preparation  of  an  act  on  the  law  of 
Negotiable  Instruments,  already  adopted  by  the  State  of  New  York,  and  three 
other  States,  and  important  safeguards  in  the  laws  of  marriage.  The  work, 
however,  which  has  brought  Mr.  Henschel's  name  most  conspicuously  before 
the  public,  is  that  in  connection  with  the  creation  of  the  Greater  New  York. 
Mr.  Henschel  appeared  before  the  legislative  committees  in  1890,  and, 
calling  attention  to  the  cogent  reasons  advanced  by  Mr.  Green  in  a  historical 
document  of  remarkable  persuasive  force  on  the  benefits  of  Consolidation, 
assisted  in  obtaining  the  law  which  proved  to  be  the  groundwork  upon  which 
the  achievement  of  the  Greater  City  was  founded.  In  March,  1891,  he  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  Greater  New  York  Commission,  and  threw  himself 
into  the  work  with  great  enthusiasm  and  energy.  When  in  1894:,  the  subject 
of  Consolidation  was  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  electors,  he  prepared  argu- 
ments for  Consolidation  that  were  spread  broadcast  among  the  people,  and 
delivered  speeches  and  lectures  at  many  meetings  held  throughout  the  terri- 
tory. In  1895  he  published  a  pamphlet  entitled  "Historical  Sketch  of  the 
Greater  New  York, "  giving  a  history  of  the  movement  from  its  inception. 
The  Legislature  of  1897  passed  resolutions  thanking  Mr.  Green,  Mr.  Strana- 
han  and  others,  including  Mr.  Henschel,  for  their  efficient  work  in  the  creation 
of  the  Greater  New  York.    Mr.  Henschel  has  been  counsel  for  important 


Coadjutor's  of  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission. 


69 


interests,  especially  in  connection  with  public  and  municipal  affairs.  He  has 
been  for  some  time  Associate  Counsel  for  the  New  York  and  New  Jersey 
Bridge  Company.  He  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  press,  and  is 
the  author  of  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  New  York  Board  of  Aldermen  in 
1896,  requesting  Congress  to  provide  adequate  coast  defenses  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  United  States. 

Frederick  Seymour  Gibbs,  who  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Affairs  of 
Cities,  had  the  honor  of  introducing  in  the  State  Assembly  the  first  successful 
Consolidation  Bill — ^the  act  of  1890,  by  which  the  foregoing  Commission  was 
created — was  born  in  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.,  March  22,  1845.  His  father, 
Lucius  S.  Gibbs,  a  carpenter  and  builder,  was  of  English  antecedents,  and 
was  descended  lineally  from  ancestors  who  lived  in  Connecticut  for  over  a 
century,  while  he  was  collaterally  related  to  the  famous  Gibbs  family  of  South 
Carolina.  His  mothe>',  Jane  "Wilson,  was  of  Canadian  parentage  and  Scotch 
descent.  When  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  Frederick  S.  Gibbs  enlisted  in 
the  148th  New  York  Volunteers,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  severely 
wounded  three  times,  served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  brevetted  First 
Lieutenant  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services.  After  the  war  he  returned 
to  Seneca  Falls,  and  re-entered  the  employment  of  Cowing  &  Co.,  pump 
manufacturers,  whom  he  had  left  in  1862.  In  1875  he  became  Manager  of 
the  New  York  business  of  the  Goulds  Manufacturing  Co.,  pump  manufac- 
turers, and  so  remained  until  the  formation  of  the  Metropolitan  "Water  Co., 
of  which  he  has  been  Managing  Director  ever  since.  In  polities  he  is  one  of 
the  best  known  Kepublican  leaders  in  the  Ciiy  and  State,  and  for  the  past 
sixteen  years  has  been  a  delegate  to  all  the  State  and  County  Conventions  of 
his  party,  and  to  the  National  Conventions  of  1888,  1892  and  1896,  He  now 
represents  New  York  State  on  the  Kepublican  National  Committee,  and  is  a 
member  of  various  other  directing  bodies  of  the  party.  In  1884  he  was  can- 
didate for  Mayor  of  New  York,  being  defeated  in  a  three-cornered  contest  with 
Grace  and  Grant.  In  1884-85  he  was  State  Senator  from  the  Eighth  New 
York  District,  and  in  1889  and  1890  Assemblyman  from  the  Thirteenth  New 
York  District.  As  Chairman  of  the  Committees  on  Affairs  of  Cities  in  both 
houses,  he  introduced  and  secured  the  passage  of  many  imjportaut  laws  affect- 
ing New  York  City,  the  most  notable  being  that  creating  th^  Consolidation 
Inquiry  Commission.  Notwithstanding  the  heavy  demands  upon  his  time 
made  by  his  business  and  his  political  position,  he  maintains  active  member- 
ship in  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  Eoyal  Arcanum,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  American  Legion  of  Honor,  the  Knickerbocker  and  New  York 
Athletic  Clubs,  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  and  American  Geographical 
Society.  On  June  20,  1867,  he  married  Miss  Carrie  A.  Mynderse,  of  Seneca 
Falls,  who  died  in  1894,  and  subsequently  married  Daisy  M.,  daughter  of 
Judge  Clarence  W.  Meade,  of  New  York.  He  has  a  married  daughter,  and 
an  infant  son. 


70 


Neio  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


One  of  the  most  efficient  coadjutors  of  tlie  Commission  not  actually'  a  mem- 
ber of  that  body,  was  Andrew  D.  Parker,  lawyer  and  Counsel  of  the  Commis- 
sion. Mr.  Parker  is  a  native  of  New  York  City,  where  he  was  born  Der-ember 
4,  1859,  his  ancestry  being  mainly  English — Friends  and  Episcopalian.  His 
general  education  was  received  in  private  schools,  including  the  Anthon  Gram- 
mar School,  and  his  legal  studies  were  pursued  in  the  law  office  of  William 
C.  "Whitney  and  Columbia  Law  School.  In  1882  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. ,  and  entered  actively  into  the  pursuit  of  his  profes- 
sion. In  1885  he  was  Private  Secretary  to  United  States  Collector  Hedden, 
and  was  appointed  an  Assistant  District  Attorney  under  Judge  Eandolph  B. 
Martine,  continuing  in  the  latter  office  until  the  end  of  District  Attorney  Fel- 
lows' first  term.  On  May  6,  1895,  Mayor  Strong  appointed  Mr.  Parker,  who 
is  an  Anti-Tammany  Democrat,  Police  Commissioner  to  succeed  James  J.  Mar- 
tin, Tammany  Democrat,  at  the  same  time  that  he  appointed  Theodore  Eoose- 
velt,  and  Frederick  D.  Grant,  Eepublicans,  and  during  their  terms  of  office, 
ending  December  31,  1897,  many  important  reforms  were  effected  in  the  police 
administration  of  the  City.  As  Counsel  for  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Com- 
mission, he  appeared  from  year  to  year  in  Albany,  Brooklyn  and  New  York 
before  the  various  legislative  committees  having  the  subject  matter  in  charge, 
and  before  the  Mayor  of  New  York  City,  answering  all  objections  and  criti- 
cisms; and  he  drew  the  bill  which  became  Chapter  488  of  the  laws  of  1896, 
providing  for  Consolidation.  In  spite  of  a  virulent  and  sustained  opposition, 
and  the  critical  scrutiny  of  many  prominent  hostile  lawyers  directed  against 
every  clause  of  the  bill,  it  passed  literally  as  at  first  drafted,  except  that  in- 
stead of  intrusting  the  drafting  of  the  Charter  to  the  original  Consolidation 
Inquiry  Commission,  the  powers-that-were  at  the  time  changed  the  section  so 
as  to  create  a  special  new  Commission,  who  were  to  make  provision  for  the 
election  of  municipal  officers  for  the  new  City  at  the  general  election  of  1897. 
Brevity  and  clearness  were  the  points  aimed  at  by  the  drafter  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  bill,  and  its  brevity  is  an  infallible  indication,  to  one  acquainted 
with  such  work,  of  the  amount  of  labor  bestowed  upon  it. 

On  June  3,  1890,  the  Commission  assembled  and  organized  by  electing 
Mr.  Green,  President;  Mr.  Stranahan,  Vice-President,  and  Mr.Kodgers  Secre- 
tary. Those  present  at  this  meeting  were  Mr.  Green,  Mr.  Stranahan,  Mr. 
Vaux,  Mr.  Cathcart  and  Mr.  Hamilton.  Mr.  Green  made  the  opening  speech, 
and  the  Commission  then  settled  down  to  its  work.  A  series  of  public  hear- 
ings was  given,  but  they  were  meagrely  attended.  These  public  hearings 
served  not  only  to  elicit  valuable  information,  but  to  develop  public  sentiment. 
On  September  30  the  Commission  held  another  meeting  at  which  maps  were 
inspected,  and  all  the  Commissioners  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  union. 
The  meeting  of  December  11  was  made  notable  by  an  elaborate  speech  by  Mr. 
Green  on  the  rights  of  municipalities,  and  by  the  passage  of  a  resolution 


Progress  of  the  Movement  in  1891  and  1892. 


73 


offered  by  Mr.  Stranahan  directing  that  a  bill  be  drawn  authorizing  Consoli- 
dation, to  be  presented  at  the  next  Legislature. 

During  the  year  1891  the  Commission  made  considerable  progress  in  the 
direction  of  planning  out  some  of  the  details  of  Consolidation.  On  March 
22  the  Commission  requested  Mr.  Green  to  prepare  the  draft  of  a  bill  to  be 
submitted  to  the  Legislature.  On  April  2  the  Commission  discussed  the 
subject  further.  On  April  6  Mr.  Green  reported  to  the  Commission  his 
draft  of  the  bill  providing  for  Consolidation  and  for  the  framing  of  the 
Charter.  This  bill  was  sent  up  to  Albany  where  Senator  Cantor 
fathered  it  in  the  Senate  and  Mr.  Brodsky,  of  New  York,  in  the  House.  The 
bill  was  introduced  simultaneously  in  the  two  chambers  on  April  7.  It 
authorized  the  Commission  to  submit  to  the  Legislature  a  Charter  for  the  incor- 
poration and  government  of  the  City  which  should  comprehend  the  City  of 
New  York  as  it  then  existed,  Kings  County,  Kichmond  County,  the  Town  of 
Westchester,  and  that  portion  of  the  Towns  of  Eastchester  and  Pelham  lying 
south  of  a  straight  line  drawn  from  the  intersection  of  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  City  with  the  center  line  of  the  Bronx  Eiver  to  the  middle  of  the 
channel  between  Hunter's  Point  and  Glen  Island;  also  Long  Island  City, 
Newtown,  Flushing,  Jamaica  and  part  of  the  Town  of  Hempstead.  The  form 
of  government  which  was  proposed  concentrated  the  legislative  powers  in  one 
chief  executive  officer  and  two  separate  legislative  chambers.  The  property 
of  each  municipality  was  to  become  the  proi)erty  of  the  united  City,  which 
latter  should  assume  and  pay  their  debts  by  the  issue  of  bonds.  Each  de- 
partment provided  for  the  aid  of  the  Chief  Executive  was  to  be  under  one 
head  as  far  as  possible.  This  bill  appears  to  have  been  too  conclusive  in  its 
operation  to  meet  with  the  approval  of  the  majority  of  the  Legislature,  as  it 
provided  for  the  concentration  of  the  various  municipalities  under  a  single 
administration  and  the  framing  of  the  Charter  without  the  submission  of  the 
question  to  the  people.  For  one  reason  or  another  the  bill  made  no  progress 
in  the  halls  of  legislation,  and  was  practically  pigeon-holed  at  the  end  of  the 
session.  The  failure  of  this  bill,  however,  did  not  discourage  the  Commis- 
sion, but  active  preparations  were  made  for  the  resumption  of  aggressive  work 
in  the  Fall,  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  various  other  meetings  had  been 
held,  at  which  the  progress  of  the  movement  was  considered. 

The  year  1892  found  the  Commission  ready  to  resume  its  work  in  the  Leg- 
islature. On  January  18  Mr.  Green  presented  to  the  Commission  the  draft 
of  a  bill  providing  a  plan  of  Consolidation.  Section  I.  provided  that  the 
Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission  should  report  to  the  Legislature  a  plan 
for  the  incorporation,  government  and  administration  of  the  City  to  compre- 
hend the  territory  described  in  the  bill  proposed  the  previous  year.  Section 
II.  provided  for  the  submission  of  the  question  of  Consolidation  to  the  people 
of  the  several  municipalities  interested.  Section  III.  authorized  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  of  New  York  City  to  appropriate  $25,000  to 


7^ 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


carry  on  the  work  of  tlie  Commission.  On  the  following  day  Mr.  Cantor 
introduced  the  bill  in  the  Senate,  and  George  P.  Webster,  of  the  Twenty- 
third  New  York  District,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Cities,  introduced  it 
in  the  House. 

Mr.  Webster,  the  introducer  of  the  bill  in  the  Assembly,  looking  to  Con- 
solidation of  the  Cities,  and  a  lawyer  by  profession,  was  born  in  Watertown, 
Conn.,  June  24,  1828.  He  was  educated  in  New  Haven  schools  and  studied  law 
in  Newport,  Ky.,  but  caught  the  gold  fever  in  '49  and  started  to  the  gold 
diggings.  He  reached  California  in  the  Spring  of  1850,  and  for  three  years 
prospected  a  territory  of  500  miles  north  and  south.  In  1852  he  was  in  the 
celebrated  Death  Valley,  and  crossed  the  Sierra  Nevadas  three  times  in  Win- 
ter. After  three  years  of  this  hardy  life,  he  returned  to  Newport,  Ky., 
resumed  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  Kentucky  in  1854. 
Two  years  later  he  was  elected  County  Attorney  and  Solictor  in  Newport,  and 
in  1860  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out 
he  resigned,  and  was  commissioned  by  President  Lincoln  as  Captain  and 
Assistant  Quartermaster,  which  gave  him  the  rank  of  Captain  of  Cavalry. 
He  served  five  years  in  the  Army,  part  of  the  time  (during  the  so-called 
"Siege  of  Cincinnati")  being  Quartermaster  in  Newport.  He  handled  during 
the  War  $40,000,000,  every  cent  of  which  was  fully  accounted  for.  In  1867 
he  came  to  New  York  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  elected  to 
the  Assembly  four  times,  in  1890,  1891,  1892  and  1893,  and  was  the  author  of 
the  bill  to  build  Central  Bridge  across  the  Harlem,  long  known  as  the  "Webster 
Bridge."  He  had  charge  of  from  forty  to  fifty  important  bills  for  New  York 
City,  including  those  relating  to  the  Third  Avenue  and  Kingsbridge  bridges, 
the  removal  of  the  Forty -second  Street  Eeservoir,  the  Croton  Water  Shed,  the 
Elm  Street  widening,  the  new  pumping  station  and  others.  He  was  chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Affairs  of  Cities  for  two  years,  and  introduced  the  bill 
consolidating  the  cities  in  1892,  of  which  project  he  was  a  firm  advocate. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Harlem  Social  Club,  Harlem  Democratic  Club,  Saga- 
more Club,  Lafayette  Post,  G.A.K.,  and  Loyal  Legion,  and  one  of  the  twenty- 
five  charter  members  of  Constantino  Commandery,  Knights  Templars.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children,  and 
other  charitable  oragnizations. 

The  bill  introduced  by  Senator  Cantor  and  Assemblyman  Webster  aroused 
a  great  deal  of  interest  and  discussion  in  the  Legislature,  and  a  vigorous  war- 
fare was  made  on  it  by  the  opponents  of  Consolidation.  The  representatives 
of  Kings  County  offered  an  amendment  providing  for  the  exemption  of 
Brooklyn  from  the  provisions  of  the  bill.  All  of  the  Kings  County  members 
did  not  oppose  the  measure,  however,  and  to  George  L.  Weed,  an  advocate  of 
the  bill,  belongs  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  Assemblyman  from  Kings 
County  to  champion  the  Consolidation  of  the  Cities. 

Mr.  Weed  is  a  native  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  was  born,  February  7,  1857. 


Referendum  Bill  Defeated  in  1892. 


75 


His  parents  -nere  William  H.  "Weed,  of  Stamford,  Conn.,  and  Maria  Louise 
Fisher,  of  New  York  City,  the  former  being  the  head  of  the  establishment  of 
Simmonds  &  Co.,  the  oldest  firm  of  ax  and  tool  manufacturers  in  the  country. 
All  his  grandparents  were  of  American  birth,  and  his  great-uncle,  John  Dixon, 
founded  the  thriving  city  of  Dixon,  111.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
graduated  from  the  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Brooklyn,  and  is  Past  President 
of  the  Polytechnic  Reunion.  He  studied  law  with  General  H.  C.  King.  In 
January,  1892,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  W.  "Wilson  to  represent  the 
Lawyers'  Surety  Company,  of  New  York,  in  Kings  County.  In  1897  they 
became  managers  of  the  law  department  of  the  United  States  Guarantee  Com- 
pany for  the  Metropolitan  District.  Mr.  "W^eed  was  Member  of  Assembly 
from  1890  to  1892,  and,  as  before  mentioned,  was  the  first  Assemblyman  from 
his  county  to  advocate  Consolidation,  speaking  in  favor  of  Col.  "Webster's  bill 
in  1892.  He  is  one  of  the  five  members  of  the  Sub-Executive  commitee  of  the 
Republican  State  League,  and  is  delegate  to  the  National  League,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  "Ward  and  County  Executive  Committees.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  of  Brooklyn,  Aurora  Grata,  Crescent  Athletic,  Invincible  and 
Levi  P.  Morton  Clubs,  and  of  the  following  organizations,  in  most  of  which 
he  has  held  high  ofiices :  Knights  of  the  Golden  Cross,  National  Benevolent 
Legion,  National  Provident  Union,  Order  of  the  Golden  Chain,  Order  of 
Elks,  American  Legion  of  Honor,  Knights  of  St.  John  and  Malta,  Ancient 
Essenic  Order,  Patriotic  League  of  America,  1. 0.0. P.,  F.  &  A.M.,  R.A.M, 
K.T.,  R.  &  S.  M.,  Lodge  of  Perfection,  Princes  of  Jerusalem,  Rose  Croix, 
A. A. O.N. M.S.,  and  others.  In  December,  1894,  he  married  Marie  R. 
Garcia,  of  Brooklyn,  and  resides  at  418  Greene  Avenue,  Borough  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. 

On  March  3,  1892,  the  Consolidation  Bill,  or,  as  we  shall  call  it  more 
properly,  the  Referendum  Bill,  came  up  in  the  Legislature  again.  Mr. 
Webster,  assisted  by  Assemblyman  James  W.  Husted,  of  Westchester,  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  House  to  consider  the  measure.  General  Husted's 
speech  in  behalf  of  Consolidation  and  in  defence  of  the  bill  was  a  notable 
one.  The  Kings  County  members  vehemently  antagonized  the  bill.  On 
March  15  the  bill  came  up  again  as  the  special  order  for  the  day.  Mr. 
Quigley,  of  Brooklyn,  endeavored  to  kill  the  bill  by  striking  out  the  enacting 
clause.  His  motion  was  withdrawn,  however,  after  the  Brooklyn  men  had 
made  a  canvass  of  the  Assembly,  and  found  that  the  bill  was  sure  to  be  de- 
feated anyhow.  Upon  the  question  being  put,  the  bill  was  tabled  by 
a  vote  of  54  to  45.  Assemblyman  George  L.  Weed  was  the  only  one  of 
the  Brooklyn  delegation  who  voted  in  favor  of  the  bill.  The  defeat  of  the 
bill  aroused  no  little  indignation  in  New  York  City  and  Brooklyn.  In  June 
a  number  of  influential  citizens  of  Brooklyn  issued  an  address  to  the  electors 
of  that  City,  expressing  their  regret  and  surprise  that  a  bill  which  provided 
for  the  submission  of  the  question  of  Consolidation  to  the  people  should  have 


76  New  York:  The  Second  Citj/  of  the  World. 

been  antagonized  almost  unanimously  by  the  Brooklyn  representatives  in  the 
Assembly,  and  tlirongb  their  efforts  defeated,  and  that  the  peoi)le  whose  serv- 
ants these  legislators  were  should  have  been  deprived  by  them  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  say  to  the  Legislature  whether  or  not  they  favored  Consolidation. 
They  also  expressed  their  conviction  that  the  proposed  Consolidation  of  New 
York  would  be  of  advantage  to  both  Cities  in  facilitating  enterprises  for  inter- 
communication, for  sanitary  and  police  purposes,  and  for  the  diminution  of 
the  burdens  of  taxation.  In  conclusion  they  called  upon  their  citizens  to 
organize  in  every  election  district  to  the  end  that  such  representatives  should 
be  chosen  to  the  next  Assembly  as  would  be  willing  to  allow  the  citizens  of 
Brooklyn  the  right  and  ojiportunity  to  express  their  wishes  on  questions  of 
vital  interest.  This  address  was  signed  by  Alexander  E.  Orr,  J.  G.  Jenkins, 
George  L.  Fox,  Moses  May,  George  W.  Chauncey,  S.  B.  Dutcher,  C.  T. 
Christiansen,  Jere  Johnson,  Jr.,  H.  W.  Slocum,  Joseph  C.  Hendrix  and 
M.  H.  Hazzard. 

On  October  6  the  Commission  met  and  received  the  foregoing  communica- 
tion. E.  C.  Graves  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  union,  and  on  motion  of  Mr. 
Stranahan,  Mr.  Green  was  authorized  once  more  to  prepare  a  bill  for  the 
submission  of  the  question  of  Consolidation  to  the  voters. 

On  December  8  the  Commission  held  a  public  meeting  at  the  Brooklyn  Eeal 
Estate  Exchange,  at  which  William  J.  Gaynor,  Asa  W.  Tenney  and  others 
advocated  union.  On  December  16  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Consoli- 
dation League  of  Brooklyn  met  at  the  Eeal  Estate  Exchange  and  took  steps 
for  the  promotion  of  their  campaign. 

Li  this  mouth  of  December  the  agitation  for  Consolidation  assumed  a  new 
phase.  With  the  exception  of  the  work  of  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Com- 
mission, the  effort  to  develop  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  movement  had 
not  been  organized,  and  the  individual  efforts  which  were  being  made  were 
neutralized  by  the  combined  efforts  of  the  opponents  of  Consolidation  in  the 
Legislatiire.  In  December,  1892,  several  Brooklynites  met  at  the  Montauk 
Club  and  formed  the  Consolidation  League,  the  details  of  the  organization  of 
which  valuable  auxiliary  will  be  given  more  fully  on  another  page. 

The  year  1893  opened  with  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission  un- 
daunted, and  with  large  accessions  of  public  sentiment.  On  January  12  the 
Commission  met,  and  Mr.  Green  submitted  his  draft  of  the  Keferendum  Bill. 
Its  terms  were  substantially  the  same  as  those  in  the  bills  previously  intro- 
duced by  the  Commission.  The  bill  provided,  however,  for  a  form  of  ballot 
on  which  the  question  was  to  be  submitted  to  the  people,  and  for  some  other 
minor  details. 

On  January  25  the  bill  was  introduced  in  the  Legislature  by  Senator  Aspin- 
all  and  Assemblyman  Webster,  but  was  doomed  to  the  same  fate  which  its  pred- 
ecessors had  suffered.  It  was  not  defeated,  however,  without  an  earnest 
struggle  in  its  behalf.    On  March  7  the  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn 


Referendum  Bill  Passed  in  1894. 


77 


arranged  for  attending  the  hearing  on  the  bill  at  Albany,  and  on  March  8,  a 
special  train  took  200  leading  citizens  to  Albany  to  advocate  union.  On 
March  9  there  was  a  hearing  before  the  joint  legislative  Committees  on  Cities 
at  Albany.  William  J.  Gaynor  and  James  Matthews  advocated  union,  and 
Senator  P.  H.  McCarren  opposed  it.  On  April  5  the  Senate  Committee 
unanimously  reported  the  Referendum  Bill  adversely.  On  April  11  the  Com- 
mission met  again.  Mr.  Green  read  a  review  of  the  work  done,  and  speeches 
were  made  declaring  that  the  efforts  to  secure  Consolidation  should  not  be 
relaxed.  On  October  24  candidates  for  the  State  Legislature  declared  their 
position  on  the  question  of  Consolidation,  in  response  to  the  circular  of  the 
Consolidation  League.  On  December  12  the  Commission  agreed  to  Mr. 
Green's  bill  with  a  section  authorizing  the  Commission  to  draw  a  Charter  in 
case  of  a  favorable  vote  by  the  people.  The  section  providing  an  appropria- 
tion of  $25, 000  for  the  expenses  of  the  Commission  was  cut  out.  On  Decem- 
ber 23  the  Consolidation  League  approved  of  a  bill  proposing  the  union  of 
only  New  York  and  Brooklyn. 

On  February  8,  1894,  the  Referendum  Bill  passed  the  Assembly  by  a  vote 
of  106  to  7,  on  February  27  it  passed  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  18  to  7,  Sen- 
ator Reynolds'  clause  in  regard  to  equal  taxation  having  been  rejected,  and  the 
bill  became  a  law  by  the  signature  of  Governor  Roswell  Pettibone  Flower. 

Apropos  of  the  signature  of  this  bill  by  Governor  Flower,  it  is  interesting 
to  note  that,  beginning  with  1890,  the  Legislature  presented  to  each  of  four 
successive  governors  one  of  the  four  important  bills  which  serve  as  landmarks 
in  the  history  of  Consolidation.  In  1890  Governor  Hill  signed  the  Consoli- 
dation Inquiry  Bill ;  in  1894  Governor  Flower  signed  the  Referendum  Bill ; 
in  1896  Governor  Morton  signed  the  Consolidation  Act,  and  in  1897  Gover- 
nor Black  signed  the  Charter  Act. 

Governor  Flower's  signature  to  the  Referendum  Bill  was  attached  with  a 
ready  conviction  of  its  wisdom,  born  of  a  long  career  of  active  statesmanship 
and  study  of  municipal  affairs.  He  is  a  native  of  Theresa,  Jefferson  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born,  August  7,  1835,  the  sixth  child  of  Nathan  Monroe 
Flower  and  Mary  Ann  Boyle,  and  the  descendant  of  pioneer  ancestors, 
who  settled  in  Connnecticut  in  1696.  His  first  pennies  were  earned  as 
a  boy,  picking  wool  in  his  father's  wool-carding  and  cloth-dressing  mill, 
and  doing  such  work  as  presented  itself  in  a  rural  community.  He 
attended  school  during  the  winter-time  and  evening  school,  and  finally  grad- 
uating from  the  high  school,  devoted  himself  to  village  pedagogy  for  a  few 
years.  In  1853,  after  a  brief  experience  as  a  store  clerk,  he  became  Deputy 
Postmaster  at  "Watertown,  N.  Y.,  and  from  his  salary  accumulated  enough  to 
secure  an  interest  in  Postmaster  William  H.  Sigourney's  watch  business.  In 
1859  he  married  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  Norris  M.  Woodruff;  and  ten  years 
later,  when  Henry  Keep,  his  wife's  brother-in-law,  died,  he  moved  to  New 
York  and  took  charge  of  the  estate,  a  property  then  worth  $1,000,000,  but 


78 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


now,  under  Mr.  Flower's  sagacious  management,  worth  probably  four  times 
that  amount.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  Flower's  financial  relations  had  drawn  him 
into  the  brokerage  and  banking  business.  In  1874  the  firm  of  Benedict, 
Flower  &  Co.  was  dissolved,  and  subsequently  the  firm  of  R.  P.  Flower  &  Co. 
established,  his  partners  being  his  two  brothers,  Anson  E.  and  John  D.,  and. 
a  nephew,  Frederick  S.  Flower.  In  1890,  after  a  prosperous  and  honorable 
business  career  of  a  third  of  a  century,  he  relinquished  his  active  interest  in 
the  business  and  became  a  special  partner.  Mr.  Flower's  political  career 
began  with  his  first  vote  for  Buchanan,  since  which  he  has  been  a  steadfast 
Democrat.  His  active  participation  in  political  affairs,  however,  did  not 
begin  until  about  1868,  when  he  made  many  speeches  in  the  Seymour  and 
Blair  campaign.  As  the  intimate  friend  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  he  suggested 
the  organization  which  subsequently  became  famous  as  the  "Tilden  Machine. " 
In  1870  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Democratic  Executive  Committee,  and  directed 
the  campaign  which  proved  successful  in  spite  of  the  party  bolt.  In  1881, 
upon  the  express  declaration  that  he  would  not  purchase  a  single  vote,  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  and  took  a  commanding  position  on  questions  of  finance 
and  taxation.  He  also  participated  actively  in  the  legislation  relating  to 
rivers  and  harbors,  and  Chinese  immigration.  In  1882  there  was  a  general 
demand  for  his  nomination  as  Governor,  but  for  the  sake  of  party  unity  he 
made  way  for  Grover  Cleveland,  declining  in  the  same  year  a  renomination 
to  Congress.  In  1888,  however,  for  similar  reasons  of  party  harmony,  he 
accepted  the  Congressional  nomination,  and  was  elected;  and  during  his 
second  term,  as  during  his  first,  his  career  was  distinguished  by  the  same 
painstaking  investigation  and  remarkable  familiarity  with  every  subject  which 
he  approached.  On  the  great  question  of  the  tariff,  he  advocated  the  Mills 
Bill  and  opposed  the  McKinley  tariff.  His  shrewd  management  of  affairs  as 
Chairman  of  the  Democratic  Congressional  Campaign  Committee  in  1890 
more  strongly  than  ever  called  attention  to  him  as  a  gubernatorial  possibility, 
and  in  1892  he  was  nominated  and  elected  to  the  Governorship  by  a  plurality 
of  47,937  over  J.  Sloat  Fassett,  the  Eepublican  candidate.  On  January  1, 
1893,  the  little  barefooted  farmboy  of  Jefferson  County  reached  a  new  stage 
of  his  constantly  advancing  career,  and,  honored  with  the  highest  honor  in  the 
gift  of  the  State,  assumed  the  Chief  Magistracy  of  the  Commonwealth.  Mr. 
Flower's  private  life  has  been  distinguished  by  many  graces  of  personal  char- 
acter. The  new  church  at  Theresa,  the  St.  Thomas  Parish  House,  New  York 
City,  the  Parish  House  of  Trinity  Church  in  Watertown,  N.  Y. ,  and  the 
Flower  Hospital,  New  York  City,  erected  (with  one  exception)  wholly  by  his 
munificence,  are  but  a  few  examples  of  his  generosity. 

It  will  be  seen  from  allusions  in  the  foregoing  review  of  the  progress  of  the 
Consolidation  movement,  that  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission  had  a 
valuable  auxiliary  in  the  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn,  to  whose  influ- 
ence the  ultimate  success  of  the  movement  was  largely  due.    This  organiza- 


The  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn. 


79 


tion  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  speech  made  at  the  Montauk  Club,  in  Brooklyn, 
in  December,  1892,  by  William  J.  Gaynor,  now  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  of  New  York,  but  then  a  practicing  lawyer,  who  had  suc- 
cessfully prosecuted  a  taxpayer's  suit  to  stop  the  Long  Island  Water  Supply 
Company  fraud.  Mr.  Gaynor' s  speech  gave  an  impetus  to  the  subject  such 
as  it  had  not  had  before.  In  less  than  a  fortnight  a  meeting  was  held  at  the 
Montauk  Club  in  which  Mr.  Gaynor,  James  Matthews,  James  McMahon  and 
Louis  Liebman  participated.  They  decided  that  it  was  necessary  to  arouse 
the  favorable  sentiment  of  Brooklyn,  and  they  formed  the  Consolidation 
League  for  that  purprose.  The  call  for  a  public  meeting  at  the  Real  Estate 
Exchange  elicited  a  hearty  response,  and  the  place  was  filled.  Before  the 
end  of  February,  1893,  the  League  was  fully  organized,  and  a  meeting  was 
held  at  44  Court  Street,  Brooklyn,  at  which  officers  were  elected.  These 
officers,  with  the  Central  Committee  subsequently  chosen,  were  as  follows : 
James  Matthews,  President;  James  McMahon,  Treasurer;  Sander  Shanks, 
Secretary ;  Central  Committee,  A.  Abraham,  David  Adee,  John  M.  Alsgood, 
W.  E.  Bidwell,  H.  Batterman,  Eugene  D.  Berri,  David  Barnett,  E.  F. 
Beecher,  Henry  P.  Burger,  A.  P.  Blanchard,  Louis  Behman,  C.  F.  Brooks, 
W.  A.  Burns,  Eugene  G.  Blackford,  S.  A.  Byers,  Andrew  D.  Baird,  E.  H. 
Bishop,  Geo.  W.  Chauncey,  Wm.  H.  Cummings,  J.  Curley,  F.  D.  Creamer, 
E.  B.  Cantrell,  M.D.,  William  Dick,  Claus  Doscher,  Desmond  Dunne,  Theo. 
C.  Disbrow,  Marshall  S.  Driggs,  J.  Henry  Dick,  W.  H.  Douglass,  J.  B. 
Davenport,  Silas  W.  Driggs,  O.  M.  Denton,  Fred.  H.  Evans,  Wm  Flanigan, 
Henry  Franke,  George  H.  Fisher,  Wm.  Gubbins,  W.  J.  Gaynor,  Edward  C. 
Graves,  Edward  M.  Grout,  John  Gibb,  John  C.  Grennell,  Eufus  T.  Griggs, 
W.  T.  Goundie,  W.  W.  Hanley,  A.  S.  Higgins,  Wm.  H.  Hazzard,  Cromwell 
Hadden,  James  B.  Healey,  Thos.  C.  Hoge,  Matthew  Hinman,  Irwin  H. 
Heasty,  G.  B.  Horton,  John  G.  Jenkins,  Darwin  E.  James,  W.  P.  Jones, 
Oliver  Johnston,  Wm.  Johnston,  W.  N.  Kenyou,  Herman  F.  Koepke,  Chas. 
Kirchoff,  J.  N.  Kalley,  Edwin  Knowles,  James  S.  King,  M.D.,  John  Lough- 
ran,  Louis  Liebmann,  John  Leflferts,  Jr.,  Walter  Longman,  Daniel  S.  Lough- 
ran,  David  Liebmann,  Max  Lang,  J.  Lehrenkrauss,  Julius  Manheim,  Isaac 
Mason,  Fred.  L.  Mathews,  W.  H.  Moger,  Leonard  Moody,  David  F.  Man- 
ning, Thos.  McCann,  A.  W.  Momeyer,  Edward  Merritt,  John  Moran,  P.  H. 
McMahon,  James  McLaren,  J.  T.  Marean,  P.  H.  McNulty,  W.  S.  Northridge, 
Joseph  O'Brien,  Henry  Offerman,  George  W.  Oakley,  Josiali  Partridge, 
Alexander  Pearson,  Dr.  Harry  Plympton,  Eussell  Parker,  D.  B.  Powell, 
Elwin  S.  Piper,  W.  H.  Eeynolds,  James  E.  Eoss,  John  F.  Eyan,  Col.  N.  T. 
Sprague,  Chas.  A.  Silver,  Thos.  C.  Smith,  D.  M.  Somers,  Prof.  W.  W. 
Share,  Howard  M.  Smith,  H.  B.  Scharmann,  Eufus  L.  Scott,  H.  S.  Stewart, 
Hugh  Stewart,  Chas.  G.  Street,  John  Shaw,  W.  T.  Smith,  Wm.  Tumbridge, 
Stephen  Underbill,  Stephen  Valentine,  George  W.  White,  Percy  G.  Williams, 
Samuel  Wechsler,  A.  F.  Wise. 


80  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

William  J.  Gaynor,  who  was  the  originator  of  the  Consolidation  League, 
was  born  in  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  in  1851.  His  father,  Kendrick  K.  Gaynor,  a 
farmer,  was  a  member  of  an  association  of  abolitionists,  and  an  ardent  supporter 
of  James  G.  Birney  for  President.  The  son  did  farm  work,  attending  the 
district  school,  and  then  at  the  "Whitestown  Academy,  and  then  left  home  to 
teach  in  Boston  and  continue  his  studies.  He  went  to  Brooklyn  in  1873, 
became  a  rei^orter  on  local  newspapers,  and  in  1875  began  to  practice  law. 
He  took  a  prominent  place  at  the  Bar,  which  culminated  in  his  successful 
attack  upon  Mayor  Chapin  and  other  public  officials  in  1889,  when  they  at- 
tempted to  saddle  the  now  celebrated  Long  Island  Water  Supply  Company 
upon  the  City  at  a  cost  of  $1,250,000.  This  waste  of  public  funds  he  stopped, 
and  the  retirement  of  Mayor  Chapin  and  his  associates  from  public  life  fol- 
lowed. His  active  fight  against  public  abuses  continued  until  1893,  when  he 
was  nominated  for  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  by  the  Eepublican  party, 
although  he  was  a  Democrat.  John  Y.  McKane  attempted  during  that  cam- 
paign to  vote  over  4, 000  spurious  ballots  against  Mr.  Gaynor,  and  for  that 
ofi'ence  was  convicted  and  sent  to  prison.  Mr.  Gaynor  was  elected  by  over 
35,000  plurality,  and  pulled  all  the  Eepublican  ticket  in  after  him.  The  next 
year,  1894,  he  was  offered  the  Democratic  nomination  for  Governor,  but  the 
party  leaders  would  not  accept  his  proposed  platform,  and  he  declined.  The 
same  convention  then  nominated  him  for  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  and 
that  he  declined.  Again  in  1895,  Judge  Gaynor  was  offered  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  Mayor  by  all  the  leaders  of  the  party,  but  again  he  declined  to 
run.  In  1897  he  was  frequently  urged  to  accept  the  nomination  for  Mayor  of 
the  Greater  New  York,  and  a  party  was  organized  in  Brooklyn  to  further  that 
object,  but  he  stopped  the  movement.  Judge  Gaynor  has  led  a  very  retired 
and  studious  life  other  than  during  the  four  years  he  was  fighting  the  politi- 
cal leaders  almost  single-handed.  He  has  a  charming  home  life,  and  a  houseful 
of  children  with  whom  he  spends  nearly  all  his  spare  time.  He  has  con- 
tributed numerous  articles  to  the  "Albany  Law  Journal,"  among  them  "The 
Arrest  and  Trial  of  Jesus  from  a  Legal  Standpoint,"  "The  Constitutional 
Limitations  of  the  Taxing  Power,"  and  "The  Construction  of  Wills  as  to  the 
Charging  of  Debts  and  Legacies  on  Kealty."  The  only  office  he  has  ever  held 
other  than  that  of  Supreme  Court  Judge,  was  that  of  Judge  Advocate  on  the 
Staff  of  Gen.  McLeer  of  the  Second  Brigade,  to  which  he  was  appointed 
in  1890. 

A  biographical  sketch  of  Edward  M.  Grout,  who  was  an  active  factor  in  the 
League,  and  the  efficient  coadjutor  of  Judge  Gaynor,  is  given  in  the  group  of 
Borough  Presidents  in  Chapter  IV. 

James  Matthews,  one  of  the  founders,  and  the  first  and  only  President  of 
the  League,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  March  25,  1839.  He  is  the  son  of  Azel 
D.  Matthews,  one  of  the  old  dry  goods  merchants  of  that  city,  who  started  in 
business  in  1837,  and  is  still  the  head  of  the  firm  of  A.  D.  Matthews  &  Sons. 


r 


Tlie  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn. 


83 


James  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  entered  his  father's  store.  Under  his  father's  direction,  he  received 
a  rigid  training  in  sound  mercantile  methods,  and  in  the  course  of  time  de- 
veloped such  a  marked  capacity  for  business  that  he  was  admitted  to  the  firm, 
of  which  he  is  still  an  active  member,  and  to  the  success  of  which  he  has 
largely  contributed.  From  the  earliest  inception  of  the  Consolidation  move- 
ment he  has  earnestly  supported  Messrs.  Stranahan,  Dutcher  and  other  lead- 
ing advocates  in  Brooklyn,  and  upon  the  formation  of  the  Consolidation 
League  in  1892,  was  chosen  its  President,  which  position  he  held  until  the 
work  of  the  League  was  finished.  With  this  exception  he  has  never  held 
public  office,  but  has  always  been  interested  in  public  affairs.  From  1860 
to  1867  he  was  a  member  of  the  old  volunteer  fire  department,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  enthusiastic  and  efficient  "fire  laddies"  of  the  time.  Among  his 
social  connections,  he  is  a  member  and  Trustee  of  the  Montauk  Club,  and  a 
member  of  the  Brooklyn  Club. 

James  McMahon,  President  of  the  Emigrant  Industrial  Savings  Bank,  and 
Treasurer  of  the  League,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  October  15, 
1831.  His  early  education  was  acqiiired  at  the  public  schools  of  Rochester, 
N.  Y.  Engaging  early  in  active  business,  first  in  the  book  trade  and  after- 
ward in  transportation,  his  business  ability  speedily  brought  prosperity. 
The  well-known  firm  of  Easton  &  McMahon  became  the  Easton  &  McMahon 
Transportation  Co.,  from  the  presidency  of  which  Mr.  McMahon  retired  some 
ten  years  ago.  During  the  war  this  firm  did  a  large  inland  transportation 
business,  being  connected  with  the  B.  &  0.  and  Pennsylvania  railroads.  For 
the  past  twenty  years,  Mr.  McMahon  has  been  identified  with  the  Emigrant 
Industrial  Savings  Bank,  as  a  member  of  its  Finance  Committee,  Chairman, 
Trustee  and  President,  Although  his  business  interests  have  been  large  and 
varied,  Mr.  McMahon  is  also  an  influential  factor  in  the  charitable  and  social 
organizations  of  his  community.  When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  He  has 
also  served  on  the  Board  of  Education  of  his  adopted  City  of  Brooklyn.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce;  Director,  Peoples'  Trust  Co.,  of 
Brooklyn ;  Trustee,  London  and  Lancashire  Fire  Insurance  Co. ;  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Savings  Bank  Association  of  the  State  of  New  York ;  Vice-President 
and  Chairman  Finance  Committee,  Irish  Emigrant  Society ;  Director,  Insti- 
tute Arts  and  Sciences,  and  Vice-President,  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Children.  Mention  of  these  latter  organizations,  however,  does 
not  adequately  indicate  Mr.  McMahon's  influence  in  charitable  affairs,  for 
his  kindly  nature  and  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  others  have  resulted  in 
constant  activity  in  the  organized  charities  of  Brooklyn  for  a  long  series  of 
years.  Mr.  McMahon  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Club  of  New  York,  the 
Hardware  Club  of  New  York,  the  Crescent  Athletic  Club  of  Brooklyn,  and  the 
Columbian  Club  of  Brooklyn. 


84 


Neic  York:  TJte  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Sanders  Slianks,  Secretary  of  the  League,  is  a  young  lawyer.  He  was  born 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  William  F.  G.  Shanks,  the 
veteran  war  correspondent  and  former  city  editor  of  the  "New  York  Tribune." 
Mr.  Shanks  is  a  graduate  of  the  Polytechnic  Institute  in  Brooklyn,  and  began 
life  as  a  reporter  on  the  "New  York  Times. ' '  He  occupied  his  leisure  hours  in 
studying  law  with  ex-District  Attorney  James  W.  Kidgway,  and  later  with 
ex-Judge  Samuel  D.  Morris.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1892.  He  gave 
up  newspaper  work  in  1893,  and  has  practiced  his  profession  in  Brooklyn 
since  then.  He  has  been  counsel  in  several  important  litigations,  among  them 
being  the  case  of  Moynahan  vs.  Birkett.  As  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  in  that 
suit,  he  prevented  the  payment  of  over  $49,000  of  the  taxpayers'  money  for 
fraudulent  work  at  the  St.  Johnland  County  Farm  for  the  Insane.  Mr. 
Shanks  was  one  of  the  first  active  workers  for  Consolidation,  and  gave  up 
three  years  to  that  labor.  He  attended  to  all  the  details  of  the  work,  and 
spent  nearly  all  of  two  winters  in  Albany  in  efforts  to  induce  the  Legislature 
to  pass  the  bill  allowing  the  people  to  vote  on  the  questions,  efforts  that  were 
finally  successful.  Since  Consolidation  he  has  been  counsel  in  numerous 
legal  i^rocediugs  involving  the  construction  of  the  Greater  New  York  Charter. 

Many  members  of  the  League  who  were  not  officers  were  equally  zealous  in 
the  prosecution  of  its  work,  and  as  many  of  their  names  will  appear  in  the 
accounts  of  subsequent  procedings,  it  will  be  instructive  to  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  some  of  the  leaders  now. 

Abraham  Abraham,  an  earnest  and  influential  member  of  the  League,  was 
born  in  the  old  City  of  New  York  in  1843,  and  received  his  education  on  Man- 
hattan Island,  but  in  1865  moved  to  Brooklyn  and  established  himself  in  busi- 
ness. Commencing  with  a  few  employees,  he  has  now  become  one  of  the  great 
merchants  of  the  United  States.  The  department  store  of  Abraham  &  Straus, 
of  which  he  is  the  head,  employs  enough  people  to  make  three  full  regiments, 
if  they  were  all  men,  or  a  whole  army  brigade  under  the  new  military  stand- 
ard of  the  country,  and  the  concern  is  one  of  the  largest  establishments  of  its 
kind  in  the  world.  Although  closely  devoted  to  business,  he  has  found  time 
to  take  an  interest  in  piiblic  affairs,  and  has  earnestly  supported  everything 
tending  to  benefit  the  City  of  Brooklyn.  He  was  quick  to  recognize  the 
advantages  of  Consolidation,  and  the  movement  had  in  him  one  of  its  most 
powerful  and  most  enthusiastic  advocates.  He  appeared  before  the  Lexow 
Committee  and  ex-Mayor  Wurster  in  behalf  of  the  leading  Brooklyn  mer- 
chants, and  his  timely  and  efficient  intercession  did  much  to  hasten  the  con- 
summation of  the  union  between  the  two  cities.  He  has  also  devoted  much 
attention  to  charitable  work,  and  at  present  he  is  Vice-President  of  the 
Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  and  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Brooklyn  Society 
for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children,  also  President  of  Temple  Israel, 
and  a  Director  of  the  Brooklyn  Society  of  Arts  and  Sciences.    He  is  also  a 


JOHN    LEFFERTS,  JR. 


PETER   HENRY  M'NULTY. 


The  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn. 


87 


member  of  the  Union  League,  Brooklyn  and  Oxford  Clubs  of  Brooklyn ;  and 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York. 

Eugene  G.  Blackford,  banker  and  pisciculturist,  whose  name  lent  much  in- 
fluence to  the  movement,  is  the  son  of  Gilbert  L.  and  Mary  A.  Blackford,  and 
was  born  at  Morristown,  N.  J.,  August  8,  1839.  His  earliest  progenitors  in 
this  country  were  of  Scottish  origin,  and  settled  in  New  Jersey  in  the  later 
IBOO's.  Mr.  Blackford  went  to  school  in  Brooklyn  until  he  was  fourteen,  and 
then  was  employed  successively  by  a  ship  broker,  a  steamboat  company,  a 
railroad  company  and  a  dry  goods  merchant.  To  the  latter,  A.  T.  Stewart, 
he  attributes  his  first  substantial  business  training.  His  nest  occupation  was 
that  of  bookkeeper  for  a  firm  of  fish  dealers  in  Fulton  Market,  and  here  he  dis- 
covered possibilities  of  success  which  led  him  to  adopt  the  business  as  his 
own.  Ever  since  1867  he  has  actively  been  engaged  in  the  culture,  taking 
and  merchandising  of  fish,  and  does  an  enormous  business  under  the  name  of 
Eugene  G.  Blackford.  He  is  also  President  of  the  wholesale  fish  and  com- 
mission house  of  "Blackfords, "  an  incorporated  company.  The  extent  of  his 
transactions  led  him  in  1886  to  enter  concurrently  into  the  banking  business, 
and  he  now  holds  the  position  of  President  of  the  Bedford  Bank.  Since  1872 
Mr.  Blackford  has  been  a  close  student  of  the  history  and  propagation  of  fish, 
and  had  charge  of  the  piscatorial  exhibit  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in 
Philadelphia  in  1876.  In  1880  he  sent  130  tons  of  exhibits  to  the  Interna- 
tional Fish  Exhibition  in  Berlin,  from  which,  as  from  the  Centennial,  he 
received  a  silver  medal.  He  has  been  an  invaluable  coadjutor  of  the  United 
States  Fish  Commission,  and  has  devoted  a  great  deal  of  his  time,  and  large 
sums  of  money,  to  the  advancement  of  his  favorite  science.  He  is  well  known 
to  naturalists  and  pisciculturists  at  home  and  abroad,  and  is  frequently  the 
medium  of  international  communications  on  the  subject  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  deep.  In  1860  Mr.  Blackford  married  Frances  L.  Green  of  New  York. 
He  is  a  zealous  member  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  in  which  his  grandfather 
and  great  grandfather  were  clergymen.  Mr.  Blackford  is  President  of  the 
American  Writing  Machine  Co.,  the  Biological  School  at  Cold  Spring,  Long 
Island;  the  Atlantic  Avenue  Board  of  Improvement,  and  "Blackfords;"  a 
director  of  the  Schermerhorn  Bank  and  Hide  &,  Leather  Bank ;  Chairman  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  People's  Trust  Co.,  City  Savings  Bank,  and  the 
Union  Typewriter  Co.,  a  Trustee  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and 
Sciences ;  and  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  following  clubs :  The  Manhattan  and  Ful- 
ton Clubs  of  New  York,  and  the  Union  League,  Moutauk,  Hamilton,  Brooklyn, 
Rembrandt,  Biding  &  Driving  and  Dyker  Meadow  Clubs  of  Brooklyn. 

George  W.  Chauncey,  of  Brooklyn,  one  of  the  most  energetic  members  of 
the  League,  was  born  in  Brooklyn  in  1847.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was 
graduated  from  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  after  a  three  years' 
finishing  course  in  Columbia  University,  entered  the  real  estate  business  in 


88 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


his  native  City.  His  liberal  education  and  his  extensive  business  relations 
enabled  him  to  form  a  clear  and  positive  conviction  as  to  the  advisability  of 
Consolidation,  and  when  the  Consolidation  League  was  formed  he  was  among 
the  foremost  to  enter  zealously  upon  the  work  which  it  had  undertaken.  He 
and  three  of  his  associates — James  Matthews,  A.  Abraham  and  James  D. 
Lynch — were  familiarly  called  the  "big  four"  on  account  of  their  herculean 
labors  in  behalf  of  union.  Mr.  Chauncey's  high  position  in  real  estate  mat- 
ters, and  the  recognized  standing  of  the  others,  gave  their  opinions  impor- 
tance, and  the  influence  which  they  exerted  upon  others  was  of  the  greatest 
value  in  accomplishing  the  end  in  view.  As  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  League,  part  of  whose  duty  was  the  education  of  members  of  the 
Legislature  up  to  a  realization  of  the  desirability  of  Consolidation,  Mr. 
Chauncey's  efforts  were  most  persistent  and  effective.  Among  the  social 
organizations  of  which  he  is  a  member  are  the  Brooklyn  Club  and  Hamilton 
Club,  of  Brooklyn,  and  the  Military  Club  (Seventh  Kegiment  "Veteran),  of 
New  York.  He  is  President  of  the  D.  &  M.  Chauncey  Eeal  Estate  Co.,  Ltd., 
and  holds  other  responsible  business  relations. 

Silas  Wright  Driggs  was  another  ardent  Consolidationist,  in  which  faith 
he  was  thoroughly  indoctrinated  by  his  father,  Hon.  Edmund  Driggs — a 
gentleman  widely  known  politically  and  socially  in  his  day  and  generation, 
having  filled  the  offices  of  Alderman  of  the  City  of  Williamsburg,  Tax-Col- 
lector  of  Brooklyn,  President  of  the  ancient  village  of  Williamsburgh,  and 
many  other  offices  of  honor  and  trust.  An  intimate  personal  and  political 
friend  of  the  distinguished  Governor  of  New  York,  Silas  Wright,  Mr.  Driggs, 
upon  the  birth  of  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  March  10,  1847,  be- 
stowed upon  him  the  name  of  his  illustrious  friend,  Silas  Wright.  The 
family  at  this  time  were  residing  in  New  York.  One  year  later  they  moved 
to  Williamsburg,  and  have  been  identified  with  that  section  of  the  City  for 
the  past  fifty  years.  S.  W.  Driggs  has  been  in  the  warehousing  business 
since  his  early  manhood,  and  succeeded  his  brother,  Marshall  S.  Driggs,  who 
for  more  than  thirty  years  conducted  an  extensive  business  in  South  Street, 
New  York,  and  from  which  he  retired  in  1889.  Mr.  Driggs,  who  has  been  a 
consistent  Democrat,  like  his  father,  has  persistently  refused  to  hold  any  po- 
litical office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Crescent  Athletic,  National  City  and 
Brooklyn  Democratic  Clubs,  and  in  religious  belief  is  of  the  Baptist  faith. 

John  Lefferts,  Jr.,  son  of  the  late  John  Leflferts,  who  was  well  known  in 
financial  circles,  and  a  highly  respected  and  much  esteemed  citizen  of 
Brooklyn,  descends  from  an  old  Holland  family  who  settled  in  Flatbush  in 
1660,  during  the  days  when  Peter  Stuyvesant  presided  over  the  destinies  of 
New  Amsterdam.  Mr.  Lefferts  was  educated  in  old  Erasmus  Hall  Academy 
in  Flatbush,  and  then  in  Eutgers  College,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.  With  this 
foundation  he  took  a  law  course  in  Columbia  Law  School,  graduating  in  the 
class  of  1876,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  the  same  year.    He  has  always 


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practiced  in  Brooklyn,  chiefly  in  the  real  estate  department  of  the  profession, 
in  which  he  has  made  a  marked  success.  He  has  never  held  political  office, 
but  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Consolidation  League,  and  one  of  the 
Committee  of  Seven  on  Organization,  etc.  He  was  and  is  a  firm  believer  in 
the  benefits  to  accrue  to  all  the  Boroughs  from  the  municipal  union,  and  when 
hard  work  had  to  be  done  to  promote  Consolidation,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
earnest  laborers  in  cultivating  public  opinion.  Mr.  Lefi'erts  is  a  member  of 
the  Holland  Society  of  New  York,  the  St.  Nicholas  Society  of  Nassau  Island 
and  the  Montauk  Club,  of  Brooklyn. 

Peter  H.  McNulty,  Democratic  Senator  from  the  Sixth  Senatorial  District 
(of  Brooklyn),  an  advocate  of  Consolidation,  and  a  voter  for  the  measure 
when  it  came  up  in  the  Senate,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  May  4,  1858.  He 
has  contended  with  many  disadvantages  of  circumstances,  but  has  risen  in  the 
world  by  his  industry  and  innate  ability.  He  had  received  only  a  few  years 
of  schooling  when,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  began  to  support  himself.  Up 
to  1895  he  was  chiefly  connected  with  the  dry  goods  business,  first  as  errand 
boy,  then  as  traveling  salesman,  and  finally  manager  of  the  mammoth  estab- 
lishment of  Wechsler  <fc  Abraham.  When  the  latter  firm  was  dissolved,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  the  senior  member  under  the  firm  name  of  "Wechsler 
&  McNulty.  In  July,  1895,  he  withdrew  from  the  concern  and  has  since 
devoted  himself  to  real  estate  improvement.  He  is  now  President  of  the 
Brooklyn  Kealty  and  Improvement  Co.,  and  one  of  the  largest  real  estate 
holders  in  the  settlement  called  Kensington.  For  fourteen  years  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  National  Guard,  in  which  he  holds  the  rank  of  major.  He 
has  always  taken  an  interest  in  public  affairs,  especially  those  affecting  the 
public  schools.  For  nine  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, and  was  one  of  the  first  advocates  of  manual  training  in  the  Brooklyn 
schools.  He  has  also  been  conspicuous  as  one  of  the  first  advocates  of  the 
bicycle  path,  and  as  the  champion  of  five-cent  car  fares  and  clean  cars.  In 
1895  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  as  a  Democrat  in  a  closely  contested 
district,  and  has  served  efficiently  on  the  Committees  on  Banks,  Military 
Affairs,  Public  Education,  Revision  and  Public  Printing. 

Leonard  Moody  was  born  at  East  Pittston,  Me.,  on  the  Kennebec  Eiver,  in 
the  year  1839.  There  he  received  his  education  and  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  twelve  years  old,  when  he  went  to  sea,  returning  to  East 
Pittston  four  years  later.  He  then  bought  a  farm,  which  in  the  following 
years  was  greatly  enlarged  by  the  further  purchase  of  farm  and  woodland, 
and  which  is  still  his  property.  In  1857  Mr.  Moody  started  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  went  to  Virginia,  and  was  very  successful  in  this  industry.  Three 
years  later  he  returned  to  his  estate  at  Pittston.  When  in  1860  the  call  to 
arms  sounded,  Mr.  Moody  was  one  of  the  first  to  organize  the  Twenty-first 
Maine  Eegiment.  As  a  member  of  this  regiment  he  distinguished  himself 
on  different  occasions.    Near  Fort  Monroe  he  barely  escaped  death  or  capture 


90 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


by  taking  refuge  on  a  sailing  vessel  at  the  last  moment,  but  he  remained  with 
his  regiment  until  he  was  compelled  by  the  advice  of  different  physicians  to 
get  his  discharge.  The  hardships  and  exposures  during  his  service  in  the 
army  had  weakened  his  health  so  much  that  only  exceptionally  good  care 
could  save  his  life.  Mr.  Moody  has  always  been  energetic  and  industrious, 
and  his  present  wealth  and  the  general  esteem  he  enjoys  give  proof  of  this. 
From  year  to  year  he  extended  his  business,  and  soon  afterward  he  established 
his  headquarters  in  New  York,  where  in  1864  he  married  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Quantin.  Mr.  Moody  was  not  only  energetic  and  industrious,  but  he  also 
possessed  great  talent  for  seeing  good  business  chances.  This  induced  him 
to  establish  himself  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Brooklyn,  and  to  open  a 
small  office  on  Flatbush  Avenue.  He  had  the  same  success  in  this  business  as 
in  his  former  enterprise,  and  is  now  one  of  the  first  and  best  known  real  estate 
dealers  of  the  City.  His  offices  are  No.  20  Court  Street  and  No.  309  Flatbush 
Avenue.  Mr.  Moody  is  Vice-President  of  the  Brooklyn  Eeal  Estate  Exchange, 
and  was  Chairman  of  the  Building  Committee  when  the  Keal  Estate  Exchange 
Building  in  Montague  Street,  was  erected,  costing  $400,000.  He  was  a 
Director  of  the  Montauk  Club  and  Chairman  of  the  Building  Committee  for 
the  Club  House,  which  has  cost  $250,000.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ox- 
ford Club,  Union  League  Club,  Crescent  Athletic  Club,  the  old  standbys  of 
the  New  England  Society,  XJ.  S.  Grant  Post,  G.A.E.,  a  Eoyal  Arch  Mason, 
Director  of  the  Kings  County  Bank,  City  Savings  Bank,  Hamilton  Trust  Com- 
pany, Vice-President  of  the  Co-Operative  Building  Bank  and  Trustee  of  the 
Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  From  the  beginning  of  the  agita- 
tion for  consolidating  the  Cities,  Mr.  Moody  was  a  most  active  and  sincere 
supporter  of  the  Consolidation  Bill.  Few  men  sacrificed  for  this  object  as 
much  time  and  money  as  he.  He  was  one  of  the  suggestors  of  the  Consoli- 
dation League,  and  in  the  Eeal  Estate  Exchange  he  proposed  Mr.  Matthews  for 
President  of  the  League.  He  was  at  Albany  several  times  in  order  to  recom- 
mend the  adoption  of  the  Consolidation  Bill,  the  first  time  before  the  Senate 
Committee,  and  in  company  with  Judge  Gaynor,  George  Chauncey,  James 
Matthews  and  James  McMahon,  went  repeatedly  before  the  Governor  to  urge 
him  to  sign  the  bill. 

Eussell  Parker,  manufacturer  of  India  rubber  goods,  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  January  23,  1852,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the 
Polytechnic  Institute  of  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Parker  is  a  son  of  the  late  Chas. 
Parker,  Esq.,  the  famous  restaurateur  of  ante-bellum  days,  whose  establish- 
ment, located  for  many  years  at  No.  20  Dey  Street,  New  York,  was  patronized 
by  the  leading  merchants  of  those  days.  After  completing  his  studies,  he 
became  connected  with  one  of  the  local  houses  in  the  India  rubber  line. 
Here  he  developed  an  adaptability  for  the  business,  and  a  reputation  for 
sound  judgment,  which  soon  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  his  employers  and 
the  trade.    In  1879,  in  connection  with  Jas.  H.  Stearns  and  Benj.  F.  Sutton, 


ELWIN   S.   riPER.  JAMES  R.  ROSS. 


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93 


he  established  the  rubber  manufacturiBg  business  which,  from  humble  begin- 
nings, has  grown  to  large  proportions,  and  enjoys  a  world-wide  reputation  for 
the  superiority  of  its  productions.  He  is  now  the  President  of  this  company. 
He  is  also  President  of  the  Montauk  Theatre  Company,  the  Alpha  Eubber 
Company,  of  Montreal,  Canada,  and  the  Spofford  Yacht  Club,  and  is  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Manufacturers'  Insurance  Company,  and  many  other  financial 
enterprises.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  and  the  Cres- 
cent Athletic  Club,  of  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Parker  was  one  of  the  pioneer  Consol- 
idationists  of  Brooklyn,  and  was  identified  with  the  movement  before  the  Con- 
solidation League  was  organized.  He  worked  industriously  at  home  and  at 
Albany,  appeared  at  all  public  meetings  on  the  subject,  and  spoke  eloquently 
on  many  occasions.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  League  Committee  on  badges, 
and  was  the  author  of  the  idea  of  the  buttons  which  did  so  much  to  advertise 
and  popularize  the  movement. 

Elwin  S.  Piper,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Brooklyn,  President  of  the  Grand 
Street  Board  of  Trade,  and  member  of  the  Consolidation  League,  was  born  in 
Saratoga  Springs,  N.  T.  He  Avas  educated  at  Saratoga  and  at  Troy,  N.  T., 
and  later  graduated  at  the  State  Normal  College  at  Albany,  with  the  class  of 
'74,  being  valedictorian  and  honor  man  of  his  class.  In  1886  Mr.  Piper 
removed  to  Brooklyn,  and  during  the  twelve  years  which  have  elapsed  since 
that  date,  he  has  built  up  one  of  the  great  general  stores  of  Brooklyn,  known 
as  the  "Grand  Bazaar  of  Elwin  S.  Piper,  the  Universal  Provider."  Mr. 
Piper  employs  from  150  to  200  clerks,  and  has  not  only  created  a  great  retail 
business,  but  has  also  built  up  a  wholesale  and  mail  trade  of  large  propor- 
tions. His  business  methods  are  direct,  energetic  and  honorable.  He  is 
known  as  the  most  influential  and  enterprising  merchant  on  Grand  Street, 
Brooklyn,  and  has  contributed  much  by  example  and  energy  to  the  prosperity 
of  that  part  of  his  adopted  city.  He  is  always  foremost  iu  any  enterprise 
which  tends  to  advance  its  interests.  In  1895,  upon  the  organization  of  the 
Grand  Street  Board  of  Trade,  Mr.  Piper  was  chosen  the  first  President.  He 
was  re-elected  the  succeeding  year.  In  1896  Mayor  Wurster  appointed  him 
a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Board  of  Education.  He  is  also  a  Trustee  of  the 
Eastern  District  Hospital ;  President  of  the  Eagle  Savings  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, and  active  in  many  business  and  charitable  enterprises.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Committee  appointed  during  the  administration  of  Mayor 
Hewitt  to  consider  the  project  of  a  new  East  Kiver  Bridge,  and  has  been  an 
outspoken  advocate,  not  only  of  a  new  bridge,  but  also  of  the  Consolidation  of 
the  great  adjacent  communities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  In  the  social 
and  club  life  of  Brooklyn,  Mr.  Piper  is  an  important  factor,  and  includes 
among  his  connections  membership  in  the  Hanover  Club,  and  the  Union 
League  Club. 

James  K.  Eoss,  a  member  of  the  Central  Committee  of  the  League,  and  an 
earnest  advocate  of  municipal  union,  is  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  James 


94 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


K.  Eoss  &  Co.,  real  estate  brokers  and  managers  of  Brooklyn.  He  was  born 
April  19,  1865,  in  Williamsburg  (Brooklyn),  and  after  attending  the  public 
schools  and  the  Polytechnic  Institute,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  started  out  to 
make  his  fortune.  His  native  shrewdness  and  energy  enabled  him  to  push 
ahead  rapidly  in  commercial  life,  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  Consoli- 
dated Stock,  Petroleum  and  Mining  Exchange  of  New  York,  for  the  more  suc- 
cessful prosecution  of  his  enterprises.  In  1892  he  established  himself  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  his  native  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  has  greatly  promoted 
the  development  of  the  Bedford  section.  His  partner  is  Henry  E.  Pickford. 
In  politics  Mr.  Eoss  is  a  Eepublican,  and  since  the  reorganization  of  the 
Eepublican  party  in  Kings  County,  has  filled  all  the  offices  in  the  district 
association,  was  several  times  member  of  Ward  Committee,  and  in  1895  was 
delegate  from  Twenty-third  Ward  to  King's  County  General  Committee.  He 
is  at  present  time  the  Secretary  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  Brooklyn, 
President  of  the  Bedford  Section  Board  of  Trade,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Crescent  Athletic  Club. 

Eufus  Leonard  Scott,  another  active  member  of  the  Central  Committee,  was 
born  at  Lanesborough,  Mass.,  March  31,  1835,  the  youngest  son  of  the  late 
Leonard  and  Fanny  Dickinson  Scott.  On  both  the  paternal  and  maternal 
sides,  he  descends  from  sturdy  Puritan  ancestors,  who  came  to  America  about 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  settled  at  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  and 
Hadley,  Mass.  He  was  educated  at  Lenox  Academy  and  East  Williston  Sem- 
inary, and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  a  public 
school  in  his  town.  Determining  to  study  law  he  removed  to  New  York,  and 
later,  after  teaching  for  a  year  in  Illinois,  he  began  his  legal  studies  in  the 
office  of  the  late  Judge  Joseph  Neilson.  In  1861  Mr.  Scott  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  of  New  York,  and  has  long  been  numbered  among  the  successful 
lawyers  of  the  Metropolis.  In  politics  Mr.  Scott  is  a  Democrat.  In  1877  he 
was  elected  Eegister  of  Arrears  for  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  and  introduced 
many  salutary  reforms  of  the  utmost  value  to  the  taxpayers.  He  was  a 
member-at-large  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  1884-85,  declining  a  renomina- 
tion,  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  from  1886  until  1889,  when  he 
resigned.  Mr.  Scott  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  genuine  efforts  for 
reform,  and  the  improvement  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn;  was  influential  in 
securing  rapid  transit,  and  has  promoted  many  prosperous  business  enter- 
prises and  worthy  charities  of  his  adopted  city.  In  June,  1866,  Mr.  Scott 
married  Maria  E.  Hull,  of  Greenpoint.  They  have  three  children,  two  sons 
and  a  daughter. 

Daniel  M.  Somers,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Somers  Brothers,  of 
Brooklyn,  was  born  in  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  in  1841.  The  family  is  descended 
from  Lord  Chancellor  John  Somers,  the  English  lawyer  and  statesman, 
and  dates  back  to  1642  in  this  country.  Intermediate  ancestors  were  stanch 
American  patriots,  and  took  active  parts  in  the  War  for  Independence  and 


D.    M.  SOMERS. 


WILLIAM  TUMBRIDGE. 


The  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn. 


97 


the  TTar  of  1812.  Mr.  Somers  was  educated  at  the  Episcopal  High  School  in 
the  county  of  his  nativity,  and  came  to  Brooklyn  in  1865,  when  he  started  in 
business  with  his  brothers  under  the  firm  name  of  Somers  Brothers.  During 
the  third  of  a  century  in  which  they  have  continued  under  this  title,  they 
have  developed  a  large  and  extensive  business  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
decorated  metal  receptacles,  tin  signs,  tin  tobacco  tags,  and  other  novel  adver- 
tising devices,  for  which  they  have  established  a  reputation  throughout  our 
own  and  foreign  countries.  They  are  the  originators  of  decorated  tin  boxes, 
such  as  are  now  in  use,  and  among  the  first  to  make  tin  plate  in  the  United 
States.  Their  factory  at  Third  Street  and  Third  Avenue  in  Brooklyn  covers 
two  acres  of  land,  and  gives  employment  to  a  large  number  of  skilled  laborers. 
Mr.  Somers'  associates  in  business  are  Joseph  L.  Somers,  Guy  A.  Somers, 
TV.  H.  Atkinson  and  Elmer  E.  Somers.  Quiet  and  unostentatious  by  natural 
temperament  and  education,  he  has  not  been  a  man  of  political  ambition,  and 
when  he  has  been  called  into  public  service,  it  has  been  solely  because  of  his 
personal  qualifications.  For  four  years  he  was  a  Park  Commissioner  of  the 
City  of  Brooklyn,  and  also  served  as  World's  Fair  Commissioner  at  Chicago. 
His  interest  in  the  development  of  Brooklyn  made  him  a  strong  advocate  of 
Consolidation,  and  he  was  an  influential  member  of  the  Consolidation  League's 
Central  Committee.  He  has  been  connected  with  many  clubs  of  Brooklyn, 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Club  and  the  Manufacturers'  Associa- 
tion, having  been  a  Director  of  the  latter  since  its  commencement.  He  also 
took  part  in  establishing  the  Manufacturers'  Insurance  Co.,  and  the  Manu- 
facturers' Trust  Co.  Mr.  Somers  is  married  and  has  three  children,  two 
of  whom  are  living. 

Nathan  Turner  Sprague,  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  earnest  members  of 
the  League,  son  of  Nathan  Turner  Sprague,  Sr.,  and  Susan  Button  Sprague, 
was  born  at  Mt.  Holly,  Yt.,  June  22,  1828.  His  immigrant  ancestor  came 
from  England  in  1629  and  settled  in  Salem,  Mass.,  nine  years  after  the  land- 
ing of  the  Pilgrims.  N.  T.  Sprague,  Sr.,  was  a  successful  man  of  affairs, 
and  held  many  positions  of  public  trust.  For  nineteen  terms  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Vermont  Legislature,  and  for  several  years  was  County  Judge. 
N.  T.  Sprague,  Jr.,  began  business  in  a  country  store  in  18i7,  but  in  1851, 
became  engaged  in  financial  operations,  and  in  1864  organized  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Brandon,  Vt.  In  1867  he  purchased  all  the  business  prop- 
erties of  the  Howe  Scale  Co.,  which  he  soon  developed  into  one  of  the  largest 
manufacturing  concerns  in  Vermont.  In  1870,  in  association  with  Gen.  H. 
H.  Baxter  and  Trenor  "W.  Park,  he  established  the  Baxter  National  Bank  of 
Kutland,  of  which,  for  many  years,  he  was  General  Manager.  In  1872  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  subsequently  served  twice  in  the  Assem- 
bly. In  1879  he  became  conspicuously  identified  with  the  business  interests 
of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  by  the  extensive  purchase  of  real  estate.  In  1883  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Sprague  National  Bank  of  Brooklyn,  of  which  he 


98 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


is  President,  and  in  1886  organized  the  City  Savings  Bank  of  Brooklyn.  In 
1889  he  purchased  the  Northwestern  and  Florida  Railroad,  of  which  he  is  also 
President.  He  has  been  a  generous  patron  of  various  public  institutions,  in 
several  of  which  he  holds  responsible  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  is  a 
Trustee  of  the  Hanson  Place  Baptist  Church,  the  Berkeley  Institute,  the 
Brooklyn  Free  Library,  and  the  Brooklyn  Central  Dispensary,  and  President 
of  the  East  Greenwich  (R.  I.  )  Water  Supply  Co.  and  the  Bay  Shore  Water 
Supply  Co. ,  L.  I.  For  five  years  he  was  President  of  the  American  Agricultural 
Association,  and  for  the  same  length  of  time  President  of  the  Sheep  Breeders' 
Association.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  an  earnest  Republican.  Mr. 
Sprague  was  married  in  1849  to  Minerva  Hull,  of  Walliugford,  Vt.,  who  died 
in  1856;  later  to  Melinda  J.  Evans,  of  Springfield.,  O.,  who  died  in  1885, 
and  then  to  Elizabeth  Harrison  of  Brooklyn,  his  present  wife. 

William  Tumbridge,  of  Brooklyn,  proprietor  of  the  Hotel  St.  George,  was 
born  of  English  parents  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  1845.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  seafaring  life,  and  in  1864  he  came  to  New 
York  and  joined  the  United  States  Navy.  He  was  assigned  to  the  United 
States  Ship  "Tacony, "  of  the  North  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron,  then  at 
Hampton  Roads,  under  command  of  Admiral  Porter.  He  served  with  dis- 
tinction to  the  close  of  the  war,  was  in  both  engagements  at  Fort  Fisher,  and 
was  one  of  the  landing  force.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  became  a  member 
of  the  American  Shipmasters'  Association,  and  was  engaged  in  the  South 
American  trade  until  1868,  when  he  settled  in  New  York  and  operated  suc- 
cessfully in  Wall  Street  for  ten  years.  His  old  love  for  the  sea  returning,  the 
year  1878  found  him  in  command  of  the  American  clipper  ship  "Spartan,"  in 
the  European  trade,  one  of  his  trips  from  New  York  to  Havre  having  been 
made  in  eighteen  days.  He  afterward  commanded  the  steamshij)  "Borrow- 
dale, ' '  which  reached  a  latitude  of  66  degrees  north,  in  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia, 
the  highest  latitude  attained  up  to  that  time  for  so  large  a  vessel,  2,000  tons. 
In  1885  he  built  the  Hotel  St.  George  on  the  fashionable  "Heights"  of 
Brooklyn,  and  both  from  his  own  convictions,  and  from  his  extensive  associa- 
tion with  people,  was  convinced  of  the  desirability  of  municipal  consolidation. 
He  was  an  ardent  Consolidationist,  and  an  active  member  if  the  the  Consoli- 
dation League,  and  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  success  of  its  labors. 
Captain  Tumbridge  is  a  member  of  the  American  Shipbuilders'  Association, 
the  Maritime  Exchange,  Consolidated  Stock  Exchange,  Hotel  Association, 
and  the  Atlantic  Yacht  Club.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  a  free  trader. 
In  1868  he  was  married  to  a  New  York  lady,  and  has  four  sons  living.  The 
eldest  son,  John  W.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Rensselaer  Institute,  Troy,  and  also 
Cornell  University,  and  now  manager  of  the  Hotel  St.  George. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Consolidation  League,  not  a  single 
man  of  political  prominence  had  been  conspicuously  identified  with  the  Con- 
solidation movement,  which  had  been  opposed  from  the  start  by  politicians 


The  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn. 


99 


and  the  local  newspapers.  It  became  evident  to  the  League,  therefore,  that 
the  first  step  necessary  was  to  reach  the  Legislature,  even  without  political 
backing.  The  League  demanded  a  public  hearing,  and  finally,  on  March  8, 
as  previously  recorded,  over  200  members  journeyed  to  Albany  in  a  special 
train  and  presented  their  arguments  to  the  joint  committees  on  Cities  of  the 
Senate  and  Assembly.  The  members  of  these  committees  refused  even  to 
report  a  bill  allowing  the  voters  to  express  their  opinion  on  Consolidation. 
Then  the  League  plunged  into  local  politics.  Every  candidate  for  the  Senate 
or  Assembly  was  requested  to  put  himself  on  record  either  for  or  against  this 
question,  and  the  League  fought  every  candidate  who  opposed  the  measure. 
The  result  was  a  political  revolution.  The  dominant  party,  the  Democratic, 
was  beaten  by  over  33,000  plurality.  "William  J.  Gaynor  was  elected  to  the 
Supreme  Court  bench  by  over  35, 000  plurality,  and  a  delegation  favorable  to 
Consolidation  secured  from  Brooklyn.  Almost  the  first  thing  that  the  suc- 
ceeding Legislature  did  was  to  pass,  in  February,  1894,  a  bill  referring  this 
important  question  to  popular  vote.  This  was  less  than  one  year  after  the 
formal  organization  of  the  Consolidation  League 

By  this  time,  the  local  newspapers  and  office-holders  realized  the  magni- 
tude of  the  movement,  and  increased  their  efforts  to  stop  it.  The  newspaper 
clippings  received  by  the  Secretary  from  May  to  November,  189-4,  showed 
over  800  columns  of  adverse  criticism  printed  in  the  Brooklyn  papers.  This 
did  not  include  the  cartoons,  some  of  them  occupying  whole  pages,  and  pre- 
tending to  represent  the  horrors  of  surrendering  Brooklyn  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  Tiger  of  Tammany  Hall.  With  a  few  distinguished  excep- 
tions, Republican  and  Democratic  leaders  opposed  the  project,  and  refused  to 
allow  it  to  find  support  in  party  platforms  or  be  discussed  at  party  meetings. 
This  necessitated  an  enormous  amount  of  work  on  the  part  of  the  League. 
Meetings  were  held  all  over  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  a  large  sum  of  money 
secured  for  the  distribution  of  literature.  Two  strongly  argumentative 
pamphlets,  by  Edward  C.  Graves,  and  one  by  Edward  A.  Bradford,  were  dis- 
tributed, together  with  smaller  documents  printed  in  German  and  English. 
In  all,  over  2,000,000  pieces  of  literature  were  distributed  by  the  League  in 
Brooklyn  alone,  and  over  12,000  letters  passed  through  Secretary  Shanks' 
hands. 

Early  in  the  Spring  of  1894  the  Secretary  made  a  tentative  canvass  of  cer- 
tain selected  districts,  and  the  result,  carefully  verified,  showed  about  sixty- 
four  per  cent,  of  the  voters  canvassed  favored  Consolidation.  The  work  was 
in  a  very  satisfactory  state  up  to  about  July  1,  when  21,872  electors  signed 
membership  cards  in  the  League.  Then  something  occurred  that  almost 
destroyed  the  entire  movement.  This  was  the  Lexow  Investigation  in  New 
York,  and  the  subsequent  exposure  of  the  condition  of  public  affairs  in  that 
City.  The  Brooklyn  newspapers  warned  their  constituents  against  the  iniq- 
uities of  New  York,  and  the  effect  was  undoubtedly  serious.    Gentlemen  who 


100 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


were  at  heart  ardent  consolidationists,  and  who  had  contributed  time  and 
money  to  the  cause,  hesitated,  and  finally  withdrew  their  support,  declaring, 
as  they  believed,  that  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe  for  union,  and  that  New  York 
should  first  show,  at  the  ensuing  election,  her  ability  to  govern  herself  by 
defeating  Tammany.  The  demand  for  Consolidation  literature  dropped  off, 
and  peoijle  had  to  be  urged  to  read  it. 

The  movement  had  grown  too  big,  however,  to  be  defeated,  and  as  the  elec- 
tion of  1894  approached,  great  public  interest  was  shown  in  the  subject.  As 
the  Referendum  bill,  which  had  passed  the  Legislature  early  that  year,  had 
generally  been  called  the  "Consolidation  Bill,"  there  was  a  popular  misap- 
prehension as  to  its  scope  which  had  to  be  corrected.  On  October  15,  1894, 
the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission  issued  the  following  statement  to  the 
voters : 

"Your  vote  is  only  a  simple  expression  of  opinion.  Actual  consolidation 
does  not  come  until  the  Legislature  acts.  Electors  will  please  observe  that 
this  vote  amounts  to  nothing  more  than  a  simple  expression  of  opinion  on  the 
general  subject  of  Consolidation.  It  is  merely  the  gathering  of  the  sentiment 
of  the  electors  of  each  municipality  advisory  as  to  future  proceedings.  If  every 
ballot  in  a  city  or  town  were  cast  in  favor  of  Consolidation,  there  would  be  no 
finality  about  it ;  no  Consolidation  would  result  until  further  action  by  the 
Legislature  prescribing  methods,  terms  and  conditions. ' ' 

The  result  of  the  election  of  November  6,  1894,  as  certified  by  the  Secretary 
of  State,  was  as  follows : 


New  York  County. 
Kings  County.  . . . 
Queens  County. . .  , 
Richmond  County. 

Eastcbester  

Westchester  

Pelham  

Total  


Total 
Vote  Cast. 

Preference  of  Voters. 

Majority. 

For. 

Against. 

Defective. 

For. 

Against. 

166,505 
129,466 
12,453 
7,041 
634 
1,241 
404 

96,938 
64,744 
7,712 
5,531 
374 
620 
251 

59,959 
64,467 
4,741 
1,505 
260 
621 
153 

9,608 
255 

36,979 
277 
2,971 
4,026 
114 

5 

1 

98 

317,744 

176,170 

131,706 

9.868 

44,465 

1 

Only  two  towns  cast  an  adverse  vote,  Westchester,  as  shown  above,  and 
Flushing  (Queens  County),  which  cast  1,144  votes  for  and  1,407  against  the 
proposition.  Mount  Vernon,  which  was  not  included  in  the  scope  of  the 
Commission's  bill,  asked  for  special  permission  to  vote  on  the  question  and 
rejected  it,  the  vote  standing  873  for  and  1, 603  against. 

There  were  general  felicitations  upon  the  result.  Individual  gentlemen 
who  had  clung  tenaciously  to  their  convictions,  and  striven  assiduously  for 
thirty  years  for  Consolidation,  now  saw  a  substantial  prospect  of  its  consum- 
mation, and  the  Consolidation  League  of  Brooklyn  contemplated,  with 
excusable  pride,  the  results  of  its  twenty-two  months  of  organized  work. 


Opposition  by  the  League  of  Loyal  Citizens. 


101 


The  election  of  1894  ended  another  distinct  period  of  the  history  of  Con- 
solidation. The  Referendum  had  resulted  in  a  favorable  verdict,  but  that  was 
not  Consolidation  itself.  Now  a  new  chapter  began,  extending  from  the 
declaration  of  the  people  in  favor  of  union  to  the  passage  of  the  Consolidation 
Act  itself  in  May,  1896.  After  the  election  of  November,  1894,  the  sentiment 
in  favor  of  Consolidation  increased  measurably  in  Brooklyn,  but  encountered 
organized  opposition  at  the  hands  of  the  League  of  Loyal  Citizens,  which  was 
formed  November  21,  1894.  This  association  was  organized  for  the  purpose 
of  having  the  verdict  of  November  6  set  aside,  and  a  new  election  held,  with 
the  ultimate  aim  of  defeating  Consolidation.  William  C.  Eedfield  was  Presi- 
dent ;  A.  F.  Britton  and  D.  G.  Harriman,  Vice-Presidents ;  A.  A.  Low, 
Treasurer ;  Edward  Barr,  Secretary,  and  J.  O.  Cleaveland,  Chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee.  The  League  maintained  a  propaganda  by  means  of 
leaflets,  letters,  circulars,  and  a  weekly  publication  called  "Greater  Brooklyn, " 
and  adopted  the  flag  of  Brooklyn  as  its  standard.  It  vigorously  antagonized 
the  Consolidation  Bill  prepared  in  1895  by  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Com- 
mission, and  urged  a  Referendum  amendment  which  succeeded  for  the  time 
in  killing  the  bill. 

On  February  15,  1895,  William  C.  Eedfield,  A.  A.  Low,  Wm.  N.  Dyke- 
man,  James  0.  Cleaveland,  William  Allaire  Shortt,  Albert  G.  McDonald  and 
others  appeared  in  the  interest  of  the  League  before  the  State  Senate  Com- 
mittee on  Cities  and  antagonized  the  Lexow  and  Eeynolds  bill. 

In  1896  the  League  secured  the  introduction  in  the  Legislature  of  a  bill  re- 
submitting the  question  of  Consolidation  to  the  people,  but  did  not  succeed 
in  having  it  passed.  On  April  28,  1896,  a  mass  meeting  was  held  in  Cooper 
Union,  New  York,  to  protest  against  Consolidation,  in  which  the  League  took 
a  conspicuous  part.  The  speakers  were  William  C.  Eedfield,  A.  A.  Low, 
Cornelius  N.  Bliss,  James  C.  Carter  and  the  Eev.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  D.D., 
and  a  letter  was  read  from  the  Eev.  Dr.  C.  H.  Parkhurst.  Letters  by  Dr. 
Cuyler,  the  Eev.  E.  S.  Storrs,  D.D.,  Eev.  Charles  H.  Hall,  D.D.,  and  Charles 
W.  Thompson  constituted  one  of  the  booklets  (No.  4),  which  the  League  cir- 
culated freely.  The  President  of  the  League,  expressing  the  views  of  him- 
self and  associates,  five  months  after  Consolidation  had  gone  into  effect, 
stated  that  they  considered  that  events  since  Consolidation  had  taken  place 
had  more  than  fully  borne  out  their  predictions  and  arguments  against  it. 

Eeturning  to  the  election  of  1894,  the  leading  events  of  the  succeeding 
fourteen  months  were  as  follows : 

In  1894,  on  November  12,  Mr.  Stranahan  proposed  progressive  consolida- 
tion with  one  city  but  two  counties.  On  November  13  the  Consolidation 
Inquiry  Commission  decided  that  it  was  best  to  secure  union  at  once  and  the 
Charter  later.  On  November  14  a  proposition  was  made  to  resubmit  the 
question  to  the  voters.  On  November  21  the  League  of  Loyal  Citizens  was 
organized.    On  November  25  the  women  of  Brooklyn  organized  to  oppose 


102 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Consolidation.  On  December  21  Claauncey  M.  Depew  made  a  memorable 
speech  in  favor  of  Consolidation  at  the  New  England  Society  dinner  in 
Brooklyn. 

In  1895,  on  January  2,  Senator  Lesow  introduced  a  bill  in  the  State  Senate 
providing  for  a  continuance  of  the  Consolidation  Inquiry  Commission,  and 
the  framing  of  a  charter  by  them.  Mayor  Schieren,  of  Brooklyn,  opposed  it. 
On  January  5  Mayors  Schieren  and  Strong  expressed  the  opinion  that  a  Con- 
solidation bill  should  provide  for  a  Commission  appointed  by  the  Governor 
and  the  Mayors  of  the  two  cities,  to  consist  of  nine  members,  the  Mayors 
to  be  members  ex-officio.  On  January  9  Senator  Keynolds  introduced  a  bill 
in  the  State  Senate  providing  for  a  Commission  of  nine,  three  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor,  three  by  the  Mayor  of  New  York,  and  three  by  the  Mayor  of 
Brooklyn,  to  prepare  bills  for  Consolidation.  On  January  27  a  referendum 
amendment  was  urged  before  the  Legislature.  On  Februarj^  28  the  Senate 
Committee  gave  its  final  hearing  on  the  Consolidation  bills.  On  March  17 
the  League  of  Loyal  Citizens  of  Brooklyn  sent  a  circular  to  the  Legislature, 
remonstrating  against  Consolidation.  On  April  10  Lieutenant-Governor  Sax- 
ton  championed  the  referendum  amendment.  On  April  18  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee reported  a  bill  providing  for  the  appointment  of  a  Commission  to  con- 
sist of  the  Mayors  of  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  City,  the 
President  of  the  old  Commission,  Andrew  H.  Green,  the  State  Engineer, 
the  Attorney-General,  and  nine  other  Commissioners  to  be  chosen  hy 
the  Governor.  On  April  29  Alderman  Cary  presented  a  resolution  in  the 
Brooklyn  Common  Council,  committing  the  Council  to  a  position  against 
Consolidation.  May  7  the  Supervisors  of  Kings  County  condemned  Consoli- 
dation. On  May  14  the  Lower  House  of  the  Legislature  passed  the  Consoli- 
dation bill  without  the  referendum  amendment.  On  May  16  the  bill  was 
killed  in  the  Senate.  Mayor  Schieren  telegraphed  to  Governor  Morton  that 
public  sentiment  in  Brooklyn  demanded  a  referendum.  On  May  24,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Greater  New  York  Commission,  Mr.  Green  declared  that  the  con- 
tention for  Consolidation  would  be  continued.  On  November  26  the  League 
of  Loyal  Citizens  of  Brooklyn  announced  that  it  would  demand  the  re-sub- 
mission of  the  question  to  the  people. 

The  year  1896  opened  with  an  important  legislative  step,  which  contributed 
materially  to  the  impetus  of  the  Consolidation  movement.  This  was  the  pas- 
sage, on  January  9,  of  a  resolution  introduced  by  Senator  Clarence  Lexow, 
providing  that  the  Senate  and  Assembly  Committees  on  Affairs  of  Cities,  be 
constituted  a  joint  committee  to  investigate  and  inquire  into  all  the  matters 
set  forth  and  related  to  the  questions  of  Consolidation,  with  power  to  appoint 
a  sub-committee  consisting  of  four  Senators  and  five  members  of  Assembly,  to 
act  in  its  stead,  and  to  make  a  preliminary  report  not  later  than  March  1, 
1896,  to  the  end  that  proper  legislation  might  be  enacted  in  the  premises. 
Pursuant  to  this  resolution,  the  joint  committee  appointed  the  following  sub- 


THOMAS   F.  GRADY. 


ASA  W.  TENNEY. 


The  Joint  Legislative  Inquiry  Committee.  105 


committee :  Senator  Clarence  Lexow,  of  Nyack ;  Senator  George  W.  Brush, 
of  Brooklyn;  Senator  Charles  B.  Page,  of  New  York;  Senator  Thomas  F, 
Grady,  of  New  York;  Assemblyman  James  M.  E.  O'Grady,  of  Eochester; 
Assemblyman  George  C.  Austin,  of  New  York;  Assemblyman  Edwin  M. 
Wells,  of  Syracuse ;  Assemblyman  John  McKeon,  of  Brooklyn,  and  Assembly- 
man Keenholtz. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  Senator  Lexow,  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  the  public  view,  not  only  because  of  his  sympathetic  champion- 
ship of  the  Consolidation  movement,  but  also  on  account  of  his  conspicuous 
services  in  the  Legislature.  Mr.  Lexow  was  born  in  1852,  in  Eockland 
County,  N.  Y.,  which,  with  Orange  County,  constitutes  the  Twenty-third 
Senatorial  District  which  he  represents.  After  receiving  a  public  school  edu- 
cation, he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  university  education,  first  at  Bonn, 
Germany,  and  then  at  Columbia  Law  School.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known 
lawyers  of  New  York  City,  where  he  has  his  law  offices,  although  he  resides 
in  Nyack,  of  which  he  is  Corporation  Counsel.  Mr.  Lexow's  popularity  may 
be  judged  from  the  fact  that,  although  he  is  a  strong  Eepublican,  his  ener- 
getic canvass  in  a  Democratic  district  resulted  in  his  election.  In  the  Senate 
affairs  of  1894-95  he  was  a  prominent  and  active  participant.  He  was 
Chairman  of  the  Committees  on  Internal  Affairs  and  Literature,  and  a  member 
of  the  Committees  on  Judiciary,  Claims,  and  Joint  Library.  In  1894  he  took 
a  great  interest  in  the  various  bills  for  the  investigation  and  reformation  of 
the  government  of  New  York  City,  and  in  this  connection  won  a  large  measure 
of  his  distinction.  As  chairman  of  the  famous  ' '  Lexow  Committee, ' '  appointed 
to  investigate  the  Police  Department  of  New  York,  he  displayed  a  fearless 
hostility  to  official  corruption  which  has  led  to  the  colloquialism  "to  Lexow," 
meaning  "to  investigate,"  or  "to  expose. "  The  revelations  of  the  Lexow 
Committee  were  so  extraordinary  in  their  nature  that  they  led  to  the  great 
political  upheaval  in  November,  1894,  by  which  the  Tammany  Democracy  was 
dispossessed,  and  the  reform  administration  under  Mayor  William  L.  Strong 
installed.  In  the  same  session  of  the  Legislature,  Senator  Lexow  introduced 
several  important  measures,  including  the  bill  abolishing  the  Board  of  Police 
of  New  York  as  then  constituted  (three  Democrats  and  one  Eepublican),  and 
susbtituting  another  composed  of  two  Democrats  and  two  Eepublicans.  He 
also  introduced  bills  for  Eapid  Transit  in  New  York,  filling  vacancies  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  regulating  the  sale  of  convict-made  goods,  etc. 
In  1895  he  was  re-elected  by  a  vote  of  14,244  against  10,627  for  George 
Dickey,  Democrat.  In  1896  he  distinguished  himself  by  introducing  several 
more  bills  of  great  importance,  including  bills  for  the  creation  of  the  "Greater 
New  York, ' '  ceding  land  along  the  Palisades  in  Eockland  County  to  the 
United  States  for  a  National  Park,  acquiring  the  Stony  Point  Battleground  for 
a  State  reservation ;  providing  for  the  appointment  of  a  Board  of  Land  Eec- 
ords ;  providing  for  the  construction  of  the  East  Eiver  Bridge ;  authorizing 


106 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


historical  societies  to  buy  real  estate ;  empowering  the  Attorney-General  to 
bring  action  against  certain  monopolies ;  requiring  corporation  reports  to  be 
published,  etc.  In  the  Senate  of  1896-98,  among  other  positions,  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  and  of  the  Committee  on  Affairs  of 
Cities.  In  1897  he  was  chairman  of  the  Joint  Trust  Investigation  Com- 
mittee of  the  Legislature. 

Charles  Benjamin  Page,  another  member  of  the  Committee,  was  bom  in 
Olean,  N.  ¥.,  November  4,  1851,  and  is  the  son  of  Eufus  L.  Page  and  Eliza- 
beth A.  Hall.  He  began  his  studies  at  the  Olean  Academy,  afterward  attend- 
ing private  schools  at  Olean  and  at  New  Marlboro,  Mass.  In  1870  he  came 
to  New  York  City  and  commenced  his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  Addison  G. 
Eice,  and  continued  them  with  Judge  Freeman  J.  Fithian.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  New  York  Bar  in  1876,  and  at  once  commenced  practice  in  that  City. 
In  March,  1886,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Horace  Secor,  Jr.,  under  the 
style  of  Secor  <fe  Page,  whose  offices  are  at  132  Nassau  Street.  He  has  estab- 
lished a  general  and  prosperous  law  business,  frequently  appearing  in  liti- 
gated cases  involving  large  amounts.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  New  York 
City  since  1870,  and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  of  the  Seventeenth  Senatorial 
District,  from  which  he  was  elected,  on  the  Kepublican  ticket,  to  the  State 
Senate  in  the  Fall  of  1895  for  the  term  of  three  years,  beginning  January  1, 
1896.  He  served  during  the  sessions  of  1896,  1897  and  1898  as  a  member  of 
the  Committees  on  Cities,  Eailroads,  Codes,  Military  Affairs,  and  Public 
Health.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Special  Committee  appointed  to 
inquire  into  the  advisability  of  consolidating  the  territory  known  as  Greater 
New  York.  He  is  an  active  worker  and  popular  in  the  party  organization  to 
which  he  belongs,  and  in  his  political  and  legislative  work  a  strong  advocate 
of  progress  and  champion  of  honest  government.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Eepublican  County  Committee  of  the  City  and  County  of  New  York  for 
fourteen  years,  and  has  been  a  delegate  from  his  district  to  all  Eepublican 
State  Conventions  for  the  past  fourteen  years,  and  is  now,  and  has  been  con- 
tinuously, since  its  organization.  President  of  the  Eepublican  Club  of  the 
Seventeenth  Assembly  District.  He  is  a  member  of  the  West  Side  Eepubli- 
can Club;  the  Quigg  Club,  the  Alpha  Club,  and  the  Arion  Society.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Thomas  F.  Grady,  one  of  the  four  State  Senators  on  the  joint  Cities  Com- 
mittee, and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Tammany  Democracy,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  November  29,  1853,  and  was  educated  at  De  La  Salle  Institute 
and  St.  James'  Church  Parochial  School.  After  studying  law  privately,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1883.  He  had  already  begun  his  public  career,  how- 
ever, having  been  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1877,  1878,  and  1879.  In  1882, 
1883  and  1889  he  was  State  Senator,  and  Irom  1891  to  1895  Police  Justice. 
In  1895  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  again,  receiving  11,806  votes  to 
6,275  for  Thomas  F.  Eager,  Eepublican.    He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 


The  Joint  Legislative  Inquiry  Committee.  107 


Committees  on  Cities,  on  Codes,  and  on  Privileges  and  Elections.  Among  the 
measures  which  he  introduced  in  1896  were  bills  in  regard  to  uniforming 
public  employees,  construction  of  State  grain  elevators  at  Buffalo  and  New 
York,  railroad  discriminations  against  shijipers  by  the  State  canals,  and  sum- 
monses in  District  Courts,  incorporating  the  Grand  Court  of  Foresters  of 
America,  and  providing  for  the  improvement  of  Bryant  Park,  New  York. 
Senator  Grady,  in  signing  the  report  of  joint  Senate  and  Assembly 
Committee  on  the  subject  of  Consolidation,  February  25,  1896,  added  two 
lines  to  the  report  over  his  own  signature,  saying  "I  favor  not  only  the  Con- 
solidation herein  recommended,  but  the  Consolidation  decreed  by  popular 
vote  in  its  entirety." 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Joint  Legislative  Committee  was  held  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  Chamber  of  Brooklyn,  January  17,  1896.  The  morning  session 
was  devoted  to  hearing  arguments  against  Consolidation.  Kobert  D.  Benedict 
objected  to  union  on  account  of  the  complications  that  would  follow  upon  the 
creation  of  a  city  lying  in  different  counties,  which,  he  contended,  involved 
the  re-establishment  of  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  of  New  York  and  Kings 
Counties.  He  also  urged  that  it  would  be  wiser  to  learn  how  properly  to 
govern  a  city  of  1,000,000  or  1,500,000  before  attempting  to  create  a  city 
of  3,000,000.  He  wanted  the  question  re-submitted  to  the  people,  not  for 
an  expression  of  opinion,  as  before,  but  with  power  to  "determine"  it.  He 
claimed  that  at  the  election  of  1894  a  little  over  one-third  of  the  people  of 
Brooklyn  voted  in  favor  of  union,  one-third  against  it,  and  one-third  did  not 
vote  at  all ;  and  that  the  vote  of  the  favorable  third  did  not  express  the  pre- 
vailing sentiment  in  that  City.  A.  T.  White,  Commissioner  of  City  "Works 
of  Brooklyn,  reiterated  the  argument  about  the  deceptiveness  of  the  vote  of 
Brooklyn.  He  referred  to  Brooklyn's  completion  of  the  Wallabout  Market 
for  $1,200,000,  the  extinction  of  $3,000,000  of  her  indebtedness,  her 
increased  school  accommodations,  her  extensive  street  improvements,  etc., 
and  claimed  that  Brooklyn  was  far  ahead  of  New  York  in  every  respect.  As 
a  taxpayer  and  citizen  he  believed  Brooklyn  would  progress  more  rapidly 
alone  than  she  would  if  joined  to  New  York.  George  C.  Eeynolds  believed 
that  the  vote  of  1894,  not  having  been  followed  up  by  Consolidation,  had  no 
binding  effect ;  that  it  wasn't  right  to  hang  a  City  in  1896  because  it  had 
attempted  suicide  in  1894,  or  because  one-third  of  it  had.  He  believed  a 
majority  of  the  people  were  opposed  to  Consolidation,  and  the  question 
ought  to  be  resubmitted.  Fred  W.  Hinrichs,  Collector  of  Arrears  of  Taxes, 
W.  R.  Walkley  and  Jesse  Johnson  also  appeared.  The  latter  regarded  a  Con- 
solidation Bill  as  a  bill  for  blotting  out  Brooklyn,  and  as  a  political  crime  of 
the  generation. 

On  the  same  afternoon,  January  17,  the  committee  heard  favorable  argu- 
ments by  ex-Mayor  David  A.  Boody,  A.  Abraham,  Mr.  Bailey,  Mr.  Schar- 
mann,  J.  G.  Jenkins,   Marshall  S.  Driggs,  and  George  W.  Wingate,  and 


108 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


received  petitions  of  like  tenor  from  100  mercantile  firms  and  eighteen  banks 
and  trust  companies. 

Mr.  Boody's  arguments  carried  much  weight  on  account  of  his  familiarity 
with  municipal  affairs.  He  was  born  in  Jackson,  Me.,  August  13,  1837,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  Mass. 
With  a  view  to  making  law  his  profession,  he  studied  in  the  office  of  Charles 
M.  Brown,  at  Bangor,  and  also  at  Belfast,  Me.,  but  upon  coniiug  to  New  York 
he  entered  the  banking  business,  and  has  been  in  Wall  Street  for  over  thirty 
years.  His  extensive  business  connections  have  included  the  position  of 
President  of  the  Louisiana  and  Northwest  Eailway,  and  Vice-President  of  the 
Brooklyn  Life  Insurance  Co.  Making  his  home  in  Brooklyn,  he  became 
conspicuously  identified  with  its  interests,  and  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Second  District  in  1891.  He  resigned,  however,  upon  his  nomination  as 
Twenty-third  Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  which  position  he  held  for  a  term  of  two 
years,  1892-93.  During  his  term  he  favored,  among  other  things,  the  pro- 
ject of  annexation  of  the  county  towns,  the  construction  of  another  bridge 
over  the  East  Kiver,  and  the  purchase  of  the  Long  Island  Water  Supply  Co. 's 
plant  and  franchise.  He  was  also  prominent  in  a  movement  seeking  the 
establishment  of  a  free  public  library.  He  is  a  close  observer  of  current 
events,  and  a  great  lover  of  excellence  in  public  speaking.  He  believes  that 
every  citizen  has  a  public  duty  to  perform  for  the  privileges  he  enjoys  under 
our  form  of  government,  and,  as  a  consequence,  he  has  done  his  share  of 
work  in  various  public  institutions.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Mon- 
tauk  Club,  and  has  been  President  of  the  Berkeley  Institute,  Vice-President 
of  the  Home  for  the  Blind,  and  variously  identified  with  the  Long  Island 
Free  Library,  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  the  Carleton  Club, 
and  the  New  England  Society. 

On  January  18,  1896,  the  Joint  Legislative  Committee  heard  W.  C.  Red- 
field,  Mr.  Dykman,  Joseph  R.  Clark,  Eev.  Dr.  Cuyler,  W.  C.  Bryant,  George 
H.  Roberts,  Foster  L.  Backus  and  ex-Mayor  Schieren  in  favor  of  re-submis- 
sion. Most  of  them  argued  that  upon  another  vote  Brooklyn  would  reject 
Consolidation.  Mr.  Schieren  wanted  to  see  the  Charter  under  which  they 
would  be  governed  before  he  would  vote  for  Consolidation.  In  the  afternoon 
Mr.  Matthews  presented  a  petition  from  the  Brooklyn  Elevated  R.  R.  Co., 
Van  Brunt  Street  &  Erie  R.  R.  Co.,  and  Coney  Island  &  Brooklyn  R.  R.  Co., 
and  J.  M.  Snooks  presented  another  from  100  members  of  the  Mechanics  and 
Traders'  Exchange,  of  Brooklyn,  in  favor  of  Consolidation.  Among  the 
speakers  on  the  same  side  were  E.  M.  Grout,  S.  M.  Griswold,  N.  T.  Sprague 
and  Asa  Wentworth  Tenney. 

Mr.  Tenney  was  born  of  good  old  New  England  stock  in  Dalton,  N.  H. , 
May  20,  1833,  and  spent  his  early  years  on  his  father's  farm.  Determined 
to  rise  in  the  world,  he  worked  assiduously  on  the  paternal  acres  and  taught 
school  in  winter  in  order  to  accumulate  enough  monej^  to  pay  for  a  college 


Tlie  Joint  Legislative  Inquiry  Committee. 


109 


education.  The  benefit  of  this  early  experience,  where  he  learned  the  value 
of  a  dollar,  by  being  compelled  to  earn  it,  lasted  through  life,  and  manifested 
itself  constantly  in  the  energy  and  industry  with  which  he  applied  himself  to 
everything  he  undertook.  Graduating  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1859,  he 
took  up  the  profession  of  the  law.  Upon  his  removal  to  New  York,  his 
talents  expanded  with  his  enlarged  field,  and  he  soon  came  to  occupy  a 
prominent  position,  not  only  at  the  Bar,  but  as  a  man  of  public  affairs. 
Thoroughly  Republican  in  principle,  with  a  profound  faith  in  the  doctrine  of 
the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number,  broad  in  his  conceptions  of  the  duty 
of  the  individual  to  society,  and  a  strong  believer  in  the  brotherhood  of  man, 
he  naturally  exercised  a  great  influence  upon  those  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact,  professionally,  politically,  and  socially.  As  a  political  speaker  he 
was  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  National  and  State  campaigns  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  for  twelve  years  he  held  with  distinction  the  ofiice  of  United 
States  District  Attorney  for  the  Eastern  District  of  New  York.  He  was 
heartily  interested  in  and  ardently  advocated  the  larger  metropolitan  life,  and 
pleaded  earnestly  for  Consolidation  before  the  Legislative  Inquiry  Committee 
sitting  in  Brooklyn  and  Albany.  In  1897,  President  McKinley  appointed 
him  United  States  Judge  for  the  Eastern  District  of  New  York,  and  he  was  in 
the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that  position  when  he  died,  December  10,  1897. 
Notwithstanding  his  absorbing  public  cares.  Judge  Tenney  was  essentially 
domestic  in  all  his  tastes  and  habits  of  life,  and  found  his  greatest  happiness 
in  his  home.  As  a  consequence  he  depended  little  on  club  life  for  diversion. 
He  was  a  member,  however,  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  Society,  and  a  Prater  when  in 
college ;  also  a  member  of  the  New  England  Society  of  New  York  City,  and 
the  Long  Island  Historical  Society. 

On  January  24,  1896,  in  Brooklyn,  the  Legislative  Committee  heard: 
W.  J.  Coombs  in  favor  of  resubmission;  S.  L.  Woodhouse  in  favor  of  Con- 
solidation, and  a  referendum,  but  against  resubmission,  and  Albert  G.  Mc- 
Donald in  favor  of  the  submission  of  the  Charter.  W.  C.  Redfield  replied 
to  various  arguments  which  had  been  advanced  in  favor  of  Consolidation. 
He  declared  that  Consolidation  meant  increased  taxation ;  but  if  there  were 
no  other  argument  against  union  he  would  oppose  it  on  account  of  the  relative 
conditions  of  the  public  schools  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  Eugene  G. 
Blackford,  Percy  G.  Williams,  M.  J.  McGrath,  John  H.  Burtis,  J.  L.  Van 
Nostrand,  Abram  J.  Dailey,  and  H.  B.  Hubbard  favored  Consolidation. 

On  January  25  the  committee  reassembled  in  Brooklyn,  and  S.  V.  White 
opened  the  session  with  an  argument  against  union.  The  Rev.  Richard  S. 
Storrs  pleaded  for  resubmission  of  the  question,  although  his  mind  was  not 
yet  made  up  on  the  issue  of  Consolidation.  St.  Clair  McKelway  asked  for 
resubmission,  as  referendum  was  the  immemorial  habit  of  high  civilization. 
He  claimed  that  all  moral  revolutions  in  New  York  State  had  had  their  initia- 
tive in  Brooklyn.    He  wanted  "Brooklyn  for  and  by  Brooklynites  forever." 


110 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


W.  H.  Maxwell  championed  the  public  school  system  of  Brooklyn,  which,  he 
believed,  would  be  deteriorated  by  Consolidation  with  New  York.  W.  A. 
Shortt  appeared  in  behalf  of  residents  of  Richmond  County  to  express  the 
belief  that  the  voters  of  that  County  had  changed  their  views  since  voting 
favorably  on  the  question  in  1894.  J.  F.  Koehler,  speaking  for  the  working- 
men,  said  that  he  thought  four-fifths  would  vote  against  union  if  they  had  the 
chance.  Frank  Woodruff  predicted  that  if  the  Legislature  forced  Consolida- 
tion on  Brooklyn  people  against  their  wish,  the  latter  would  remember  it  and 
defeat  any  member  of  that  body  who  ran  for  office  again.  David  Healey 
believed  he  represented  a  large  proportion  of  wage-earners  of  Brooklyn  in 
urging  that  the  City  be  left  alone  to  work  out  its  own  destiny.  Henry  Hentz 
closed  the  hearing  by  opposing  Consolidation. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  the  Committee  heard  arguments  in  favor 
of  Consolidation  by  Silas  B.  Dutcher,  James  T.  Lynch,  John  D.  Keilej^,  Rus- 
sell Parker,  Joseph  C.  Hendrix,  Mr.  Chauncey,  Mayor  Gleason,  of  Long 
Island  City,  and  others,  and  the  hearings  in  Brooklyn  were  declared  closed. 

The  next  session  of  the  Committee  was  in  Albany,  January  29,  1896,  when 
George  W.  Wingate,  Mr.  Tenney,  Senator  Wray,  Assemblyman  Newman,  A.  D. 
Parker,  A.  Ebbets  and  Albert  E.  Henschel  appeared  in  favor  of  the  proposi- 
tion. Mr.  Cleaveland,  who  believed  that  he  represented  the  opinion  of  nine- 
tenths  of  the  Brooklyn  League  of  Loyal  Citizens,  declared  that  the  primary 
reason  why  they  opposed  Consolidation  was  that  the  government  of  great 
municipalities  was  the  most  serious  one  in  this  country,  and  that  until  it 
had  been  solved  better,  it  was  unwise  to  make  the  problem  a  greater  one  by 
increasing  the  size  of  these  two  cities.  He  did  not  think  that  sentiment  and 
other  subsidiary  questions  which  had  been  raised  had  much  influence  in 
creating  the  opposition  of  the  citizens  of  Brooklyn. 

On  February  1,  1896,  the  Committee  met  in  New  York.  Benjamin  F. 
Romaine  appeared  in  behalf  of  the  New  York  City  Taxpayers'  Anti-Equaliza- 
tion League  to  oppose  equal  taxation,  but  not  to  oppose  political  consolida- 
tion. Augustus  A.  Levey,  Jefferson  Levy  and  William  E.  Rodgers  also  op- 
posed equal  taxation.  The  argument  was  that  in  1894  the  average  tax  rate  in 
Brooklyn  was  about  $2.63  on  $100,  upon  an  average  valuation  of  70  per  cent., 
while  the  rate  in  New  York  was  $1.90  on  a  50  per  cent,  valuation;  that  with 
equal  taxation  New  York  would  have  to  pay  $6, 000, 000  more  and  Brooklyn 
$6,000,000  less  than  before,  and  that  this  was  not  fair  to  New  York.  Erastus 
Wiman  appeared  for  Consolidation,  advancing  three  arguments :  It  would 
check  the  decline  in  our  foreign  commerce  by  the  absorption  of  Staten  Island. 
It  would  check  the  decline  of  manufactures  due  to  competition  with  New  Eng- 
land towns;  and  it  would  create  homes  for  the  working  people  not  then 
possible  in  New  York.  Governor  Roswell  P.  Flower  advocated  Consolidation, 
believing  in  its  benefits  with  a  home-rule  Charter  and  honest  government. 
John  N.  Bogart,  as  State  organizer  of  the  Federation  of  Labor,  representing 


TJie  Joint  Legislative  Inquiry  Committee. 


Ill 


about  90,000  workingmen,  favored  Consolidation.  Thomas  Gunning,  speak- 
ing for  the  custom  tailors,  George  Tomlinson  for  the  Gilders'  Union,  Kobert 
Winston  for  the  hack  drivers,  J.  P.  Cohen  for  the  Manhattan  Single  Tax  Club, 
Edward  F.  Linton,  George  J.  Greenfield,  Andrew  H.  Green,  and  Andrew  D. 
Parker,  also  argued  for  union. 

On  February  5  the  Committee  resumed  its  hearing  in  Albany,  Kufus  L. 
Scott  advocated  the  Consolidation  of  New  York,  Queens  and  Kings  Counties 
into  one  county,  but  favored  the  exclusion  of  Richmond,  and  made  various 
other  suggestions.  Andrew  D.  Parker  replied  to  Mr.  Scott's  objections,  and 
the  hearing  was  closed. 

In  the  course  of  the  hearings,  the  Committee  received  many  petitions  and 
memorials,  pro  and  con,  which  were  made  a  part  of  its  report  to  the  Legis- 
lature. The  investigation,  as  a  whole,  seemed  to  show  that  the  people  of 
Brooklyn  who  were  interested  in  the  subject  were  divided  into  four  groups — 
Consolidationists  pure  and  simple,  Referendists,  Eesubmissionists  and  Anti- 
consolidationists.  Of  these  four  the  majority  of  Eeferendists  appeared  to 
favor  Consolidation,  but  wanted  to  know  the  terms  and  conditions  of  the 
Charter  before  voting  on  it.  The  majority  of  the  resubmissionists  appeared 
to  want  the  question  of  Consolidation  resubmitted  for  the  purpose  of  defeat- 
ing it,  and  were  practically  Anti-consolidationists.  So  that,  after  all,  there 
were  really  only  two  classes.  Pro  and  Anti-consolidationists.  The  arguments 
of  the  Eesubmissionists,  as  summarized  by  the  Legislative  report,  were  as 
follows :  The  question  of  Consolidation  was  not  understood  by  the  people  in 
1894 ;  it  was  lost  in  the  cosideration  of  many  other  questions  then  before  them. 
The  vote  of  1894  was  based  upon  misrepresentations  as  to  the  conditions 
under  which  it  was  given,  and  as  to  its  effect.  The  majority  in  1894  was  too 
small  to  be  regarded  as  binding  or  authoritative.  The  vote  did  not  determine 
the  question,  being  merelj'  an  expression  of  opinion,  and  its  force  was  spent 
when  the  Legislature  of  1895  failed  to  act  upon  it.  The  sentiment  of  Brooklyn 
had  changed  since  then,  and  was  now  opposed  to  Consolidation.  Municipal 
government  was  a  failure  as  a  whole ;  Consolidation  would  increase  the  per- 
plexities, and  until  the  problems  of  government  had  been  solved,  larger  con- 
centration should  be  avoided.  And  lastly,  if  resubmission  could  not  be 
secured,  a  referendum  of  terms  and  conditions  should  first  be  had. 

The  Committee's  report  took  up  each  of  these  arguments  in  turn  and 
answered  them,  and  concluded  as  follows : 

"All  the  districts  combined  cast  a  majority  vote  in  favor  of  Consolidation 
of  44,464,  one  which  we  believe  reflects  the  sentiment  of  the  people  and 
emphasizes  the  duty  of  the  Leigslature  to  carry  its  proposition  to  its  legiti- 
mate conclusion.  We  therefore  recommend  the  passage  of  the  Consolidation 
Bill  so  amended,  first,  as  to  provide  for  the  appointment  by  the  Governor, 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  of  a  new  Commission,  con- 
sisting of  fifteen  members,  of  which  the  present  President  of  the  Liquiry 


112 


New  York:  The  Second  City  oj  the  World. 


Commission  and  the  Mayors  of  the  Cities  of  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Long 
Island  City,  the  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor  and  the  Attorney-General, 
shall,  ex-officio,  be  members. ' ' 

On  February  25,  the  Committee  submitted  the  bill  and  report  to  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature,  through  Senator  Lexow  and  Assemblyman  George 
C.  Austin,  chairmen  respectively  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly  Committees  on 
Affairs  of  Cities. 

Mr.  Austin,  to  whom  fell  the  honor  of  introducing  the  Greater  New  York  Con- 
solidation Bill  in  the  Assembly,  is  a  native  of  Saluvia,  Fulton  County,  Penn. 
His  father,  Eowland  Austin,  descended  from  the  early  Scotch-Irish  settlers  of 
the  Cumberland  Valley  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother  is  of  German  an- 
cestry. After  taking  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  at  Lafayette  Col- 
lege, he  came  to  New  York  in  1884,  and  gradiiated  from  Columbia  Law  School 
in  1887.  At  the  Bar  he  quickly  demonstrated  his  exceptional  abilities,  and 
came  to  be  recognized  as  a  leading  lawyer.  He  has  been  instructor  in  con- 
tracts at  the  New  York  Law  School,  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, and  many  other  organizations.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in 
1895  as  a  Eepublican  by  over  1,500  majority,  and  was  appointed  by  Hamil- 
ton Fish,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Affairs  of  Cities,  and  a  member  of 
the  Claims  Committee.  In  1896  he  was  elected  by  over  4,000  majority.  In 
the  Legislature  of  1897,  he  was  again  appointed  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Affairs  of  Cities  and  a  member  of  the  Claims  Committee.  Mr.  Austin 
introduced  beside  the  Charter  Act,  bills  concerning  the  extension  of  Kiverside 
Drive,  new  Hall  of  Eecords,  Appellate  Division,  Court  House,  incorporation 
of  New  York  Law  School,  New  York  Public  Library,  bills  for  $10,000,000  for 
public  schools,  and  $2,500,000  for  high  schools. 

On  February  27,  1896,  the  Consolidation  Bill  was  recommitted  to  the  Senate 
Committee  for  a  further  hearing.  On  March  4  the  bill  was  advanced  to  a  third 
reading  in  the  Senate.  On  March  16  the  Assembly  adopted  the  Senate  amend- 
ments. On  March  11  the  Senate  passed  the  bill  by  a  vote  of  38  to  8.  On  March 
26  the  Assembly  also  passed  the  bill  by  a  vote  of  91  to  56.  The  bill  then  went 
to  the  Mayors  for  approval  or  veto.  On  April  2,  3,  4  and  7,  Mayor  Wurster 
of  Brooklyn  gave  hearings  on  the  bill,  and  on  April  10  he  vetoed  it.  On  the 
same  date  Mayor  Gleason  of  Long  Island  City  approved  it,  and  on  April  14, 
Mayor  Strong  of  New  York  vetoed  it.  On  April  15  the  Senate  passed  the 
bill  over  the  Mayors'  vetoes  by  a  vote  of  34  to  14,  and  on  April  22  the 
Assembly  also  passed  it  again  by  a  vote  of  78  to  69.  On  May  11,  1896, 
Governor  Morton  signed  the  Consolidation  Act  which  thereby  became  a  law. 

Levi  Parsons  Morton,  who  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York 
at  the  election  in  1894,  at  which  the  question  of  Consolidation  was  submitted 
to  the  people,  and  who  subsequently  signed  the  now  historic  Consolidation 
Act,  was  born  in  Shoreham,  Vt.,  May  16,  1824.  He  is  lineally  descended 
from  George  Morton,  who  came  to  America  from  England  in  1623.  His 


I-KVf    r.  MORTON. 


Tlie  Consolidation  Act  Signed. 


115 


father  was  (lie  Eev.  Daniel  O.  Morton,  a  Congregational  minister;  and  liis 
mother  was  Lncretia  Parsons,  v.liose  father  and  grandfather  were  also  clergy- 
men. His  first  wages  were  earned  as  a  boy  by  ringing  the  bell  in  his  father's 
church  in  Y/inchendon,  Mass.,  but  further  than  this  no  eft'ort  was  made  to 
identify  him  with  his  father's  calling.  After  a  few  years'  service  as  chore- 
boy  in  a  store  and  teaching  in  a  country  school,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
entered  the  store  of  W.  W.  Estcrl)rook  in  Concord,  N.  H.  In  three  years  he 
had  won  a  proprietary  interest  in  the  branch  establishment  in  Hanover,  and 
before  long  he  had  become  a  leading  merchant  of  the  place.  In  1850  he 
removed  to  Boston  and  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  dry  goods  importing 
and  jobbing  house  of  I.  M.  Beebe,  Morgan  <fe  Co.  In  1854  Mr.  Morgan 
joined  the  banking  house  of  George  Peabody  &  Co.,  in  London,  and  Mr. 
Morton  moved  to  New  York  and  founded  the  dry  goods  commission  house  of 
Morton,  Grinnell  &  Co.  In  18G3  he  abandoned  mercantile  life  and  estab- 
lished a  banking  business  under  the  title  of  L.  P.  Morton  ct  Co.  In  1868 
George  Bliss  became  identified  with  the  business,  and  tlie  firm's  name  was 
changed  to  Morton,  Bliss  &  Co.  At  the  same  time,  in  conjunction  with  Sir 
John  Kose,  late  Minister  of  Finance  of  Canada,  a  joint  banking  house  was 
established  in  Loudon  under  the  style  of  Morton,  Piose  6c  Co.  These  co- 
ordinate concerns  rendered  invaluable  aid  to  the  Government  in  the  resump- 
tion of  specie  payments  in  1879.  Another  achievement  of  national  concern 
accomplished  by  Mr.  Morton's  and  Sir  John  Eose's  co-operation  was  the 
appointment  of  the  Alabama  Claims  Commission,  whose  award  removed  a  long- 
standing cause  of  ill-feeling  between  Great  Britain  and  America.  In  1878 
Mr.  Morton  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Eleventh  Congressional  District 
of  New  York,  receiving  a  majority  greater  than  the  whole  vote  of  his  oppo- 
nent. His  mastery  of  the  complicated  subject  of  finance  and  his  recognized 
sound  judgment  gave  him  a  commanding  position  whenever  financial  legisla- 
tion was  under  consideration,  and  his  strong  opposition  to  the  bill  for  un- 
limited coinage  of  silver  contributed  largely  to  its  defeat.  In  1880  the  Ohio 
delegation  to  the  National  Eepublican  Convention  urged  him  to  become  can- 
didate for  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  but  he  declined,  and  General 
Arthur,  subsequently  Vice-President  and  President,  was  nominated  in  his 
place.  Mr.  Morton  worked  faithfully  for  the  election  of  Garfield  and  Arthur, 
and,  after  their  inauguration,  was  tendered  a  position  in  Garfield's  cabinet  as 
Secretary  of  the  Navy.  This  he  declined,  but  subsecjuently  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment as  Ambassador  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  France, 
which  delicate  and  responsible  position  he  filled  with  distinction  throughout 
the  administration.  His  previous  business  relations  with  the  Old  World,  and 
his  trips  abroad  had  familarized  him  with  the  field  of  his  diplomatic  duties, 
and  the  American  Legation  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  Frenchmen  as  well  as 
Americans  during  his  incumbency.  Mr.  Morton  hammered  the  first  nail  in 
the  construction  of  Bartholdi's  Statue  of  Liberty,  and  accepted  it  on  behalf 


116 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  Woi'ld. 


of  our  Government  in  a  speech  delivered  June  15,  1884.  In  1888  Mr.  Morton 
was  persuaded  to  accept  the  honor  vt'hich  he  had  declined  in  1880,  and  became 
the  successful  candidate  for  Vice-President  on  the  ticket  with  General  Harri- 
son. In  this  position,  as  in  every  other  that  he  filled,  his  career  was  char- 
acterized by  the  utmost  dignity,  strictest  integrity,  and  absolute  impartiality. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  term,  Mr.  Morton  was  given  a  short  respite  from 
public  service,  but  was  not  permitted  permanently  to  retire  to  private  life. 
In  1894  the  Eepublican  State  Committee  nominated  him  for  Governor  of  New 
York  on  the  first  ballot,  over  J.  Sloat  Fassett,  Leslie  W.  Russell,  General 
Daniel  N.  Butterfield,  and  General  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing November  he  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  156, 108  votes  over  his  chief 
opponent,  David  B.  Hill.  The  secret  of  Mr.  Morton's  rise  from  his  humble 
beginning  as  chore-boy  to  the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Governorship  of  New  York,  has  been  his  frank,  straightforward  character,  his 
unblemished  reputation,  his  high  sense  of  personal,  business  and  national 
honor,  his  unostentatious  bearing,  his  sound  judgment,  and  his  close  sympathy 
with  and  generosity  toward  his  fellow-men.  His  career  is  one  of  those  which 
Americans  freely  admire,  and  like  to  cite  to  the  rising  generation  for  encour- 
agement and  imitation. 

The  text  of  the  Act  which  Governor  Morton  signed  is  as  follows : 

' '  The  people  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly, 
do  enact  as  follows  : 

"Sec.  1.  All  the  municipal  corporations  and  parts  of  municipal  corporations, 
other  than  counties  within  the  following  territory,  to  wit :  The  County  of 
Kings,  the  County  of  Eichmond,  the  City  of  Long  Island  City,  the  Towns  of 
Newtown,  Flushing  and  Jamaica,  and  that  part  of  the  Town  of  Hempstead,  in 
the  County  of  Queens,  which  is  westerly  of  a  straight  line  drawn  from  the 
southeasterly  point  of  the  Town  of  Flushing,  through  the  middle  of  the  channel 
between  Eockaway  Beach  and  Shelter  Island,  in  the  County  of  Queens,  to  the 
Altantic  Ocean,  are  hereby  consolidated  with  the  municipal  cori:»oration  known 
as  the  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

"Sec.  2.  For  all  purposes  the  local  administration  and  government  of  the 
territories  in  Sec.  1  of  this  act  enumerated  shall  remain  in  and  be  per- 
formed and  exercised  by  the  respective  bodies,  politic  and  corporate,  to  which 
they  are  now  intrusted,  until  and  except  so  far  as  hereafter  changed  by 
authority  of  law ;  and  for  such  purposes,  and  until  such  time,  and  except  to 
such  extent,  the  said  bodies  politic  and  corporate  shall  continue  to  exist,  and 
to  possess  the  same  rights,  properties,  privileges  and  franchises,  and  to  exer- 
cise the  same  powers,  and  discharge  the  same  duties,  and  be  subjected  to  the 
same  liabilities,  and  the  various  officers  thereof  shall  be  elected  or  appointed 
in  the  same  manner  as  heretofore. 

"Sec.  3.  The  President  of  the  Commission  appointed  under  Chapter  311  of 
the  Laws  of  1890,  the  mayors  respectively  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Brooklyn 
and  Long  Island  City,  the  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor,  the  Attorney -General, 
and  nine  other  persons,  residents  of  the  territory  of  said  municipal  corpo- 
ration as  so  enlarged,  who  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Governor,  by  and  with 


Text  of  the  Consolidation  Act. 


117 


the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  shall  be  Commissioners,  and  are  hereby 
authorized  and  directed,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  February,  1897,  to  make  a 
final  report  to  the  Legislature,  and  submit  therewith  such  bills  as  will,  upon 
their  enactment  into  laws,  provide  a  government  for  the  municipal  corporation, 
the  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  the  City  of  New  York,  as  by  this  act 
enlarged,  and,  among  other  things,  for  attaining  an  equal  and  uniform  rate  of 
taxation,  and  of  valuation  for  the  purposes  of  taxation,  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  territory  and  of  the  said  municipal  corporation  as  so  enlarged,  and  that 
said  Commisson  shall  cease  to  exist  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1897.  Said 
Commission  may,  in  and  for  the  performance  of  said  work,  employ  counsel 
and  such  other  persons  as  it  may  deem  necessary,  and  fix  their  compensa- 
tions ;  subpoena  witnesses,  compel  the  production  before  it  of  any  public  record 
or  document  of  any  of  the  bodies  politic  or  corporate  aforesaid,  administer 
oaths  and  examine  thereunder  any  person  touching  the  subject  matter  hereby 
committed  to  its  charge ;  and  each  of  the  said  bodies  politic  and  corporate,  its 
agents  and  servants,  is  hereby  directed,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the 
provisions  of  this  act,  to  furnish  to  the  said  Commission  or  its  representative 
free  access  at  all  reasonable  hours  to  all  such  records  and  documents,  and  all 
information  within  its  possession  or  under  its  control.  The  said  Commis- 
sion shall  proceed  as  continuously  as  may  be  with  the  work  aforesaid, 
and  shall,  from  time  to  time,  report  to  the  Legislature  its  progress  therein 
and  its  recommendations,  and  shall  prepare  and  submit  to  the  Legislature 
bills  in  proper  form  for  enactment,  embodying  such  recommendations  with  a 
proposed  Charter,  or  bills  for  the  government  of  such  consolidated  munici- 
pality, and  providing  further  for  the  election  of  a  Mayor  and  the  other  Muni- 
cipal officers  therein  provided  for,  at  the  general  election  to  be  held  in  the 
year  A.  D.  1897. 

"Sec.  4.  For  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  each  of 
the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  shall  raise  such  proportions  of  the  sum 
of  $25,000  as  the  value  of  all  its  real  property,  as  fixed  by  the  Board  of  State 
Assessors  for  the  purpose  of  State  Taxation,  bears  to  the  aggregate  value,  as 
so  fixed,  of  all  the  real  proi:»erty  in  both  cities.  Upon  the  requisition  of  said 
Commission  upon  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  of  either  of  said 
cities,  such  board  shall  raise  the  whole  or  any  part  of  the  proportion  of  said 
sum  to  be  raised  by  such  city  from  any  unexpended  balance  of  appropriation 
in  such  city,  for  any  year  prior  to  the  year  1897,  or  by  the  issue  of  revenue 
bonds  of  such  city  in  the  manner  provided  by  law,  or  by  the  inclusion  thereof 
in  the  annual  tax  levy  upon  real  and  personal  property  liable  to  taxation  in 
such  city.  Payments  shall  be  made  by  the  controller  of  each  of  said  cities, 
from  the  respective  proportions  of  said  sum  so  to  be  raised  hj  each  of  said 
cities,  for  the  expenses  incurred  by  the  said  Commission  in  carrying  out  the 
provisions  of  this  Act,  upon  vouchers  certified  by  the  said  Commission  or  by 
such  officer  or  officers  thereof  as  it  may  designate  for  that  purpose,  in  form  to 
be  approved  by  the  controller  making  such  payment. 

"Sec.  5.  Nothing  in  this  Act  contained  shall  be  construed  as  attempting  or 
intending  to  afi'ect  in  any  way  the  boundaries,  government,  rights,  powers, 
duties,  obligations,  limitations  or  disabilities  of  any  county,  or  oflacer  thereof, 
as  fixed  by  the  Constitution  or  otherwise. 

"Sec.  6.  Sec.  1  of  this  Act  shall  take  effect  on  the  first  day  of  January, 
in  the  year  1898 ;  Sees.  2,  3,  4  and  5  of  this  Act  shall  take  effect  im- 
mediately." 


118 


New  York:  The  Second  Cily  of  the  World. 


Before  proeeeJiug  to  the  consiJeratiou  of  the  making  of  the  CLarter,  it 
remains  to  si)eak  of  some  otlier  representative  citizens  who  lent  tlieir  moral 
sui)port  to  the  Consolidation  movement. 

Edward  C.  Graves,  whose  name  has  already  been  mentioned  several  times 
in  the  preceding  pages,  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  May  16,  1849. 
While  an  infant  his  parents  moved  to  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  where  he  receiA-ed  a 
common  school  education,  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Ely  &  Crowley. 
In  1869  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  and  in  the  following  year  was  appointed 
clerk  in  the  law  department  of  the  New  York  Custom  House.  In  1877  he 
left  the  Custom  House  and  opened  a  law  office  on  Broadway,  since  which  time 
he  has  actively  and  successfully  devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. A  resident  of  Brooklyn,  he  became  intensely  interested  in  the  Con- 
solidation movement  and  plunged  into  the  subject,  as  it  bore  on  taxation,  more 
deeply  probably  than  any  one  else  identified  with  the  movement  in  that  city. 
Several  editions  of  his  famous  pamphlet  "An  Appeal  to  Eeason;  or,  How 
Taxes  in  Brooklyn  can  be  Eeduced  One  Half,"  amounting  to  scores  of  thou- 
sands, were  distributed  among  the  people  and  served  as  text-books  and  ency- 
clopedias for  public  instruction.  Thirty  thousand  copies  were  distributed  in 
the  fall  campaign  of  1893  alone.  Sixty  thousand  in  all  had  been  circulated 
prior  to  January  1,  1894,  to  say  nothing  of  thousands  upon  thousands  dis- 
tributed after  that  date.  These  pamphlets  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon 
popular  opinion  in  Brooklyn.  Eussell  Parker  wrote  Mr.  Graves:  "Until 
you  brought  out  and  developed  the  Brooklyn  tax  and  water  front  questions, 
and  in  your  famous  pamphlet  proved  that  the  only  possible  cure  for  Brook- 
lyn's constantly  increasing  tax-rate  is  Consolidation  of  the  cities,  there  never 
was  any  Consolidation  sentiment  in  Brooklyn  worth  mentioning."  Mr. 
Graves  was  a  member  of  the  Central  Committee  of  the  Consolidation  League, 
and  the  triumph  of  his  arguments  added  immeasurably  to  the  eflfectiveness  of 
the  League's  campaign. 

Sheppard  Homans,  one  of  the  foremost  actuaries  in  the  United  States,  the 
organizer  and  long  President  of  the  Provident  Savings  Life  Assurance  Society 
of  New  York,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  12,  1831,  the  son  of  I. 
Smith  Homans  and  Sarah  Sheppard.  His  education  was  completed  at  St. 
Mary's  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors  in  mathe- 
matics and  the  sciences.  He  entered  Harvard  College  in  1849,  and  success- 
fully passed  all  the  examinations  for  a  degree.  Engaging  first  in  scientific 
pursuits,  Mr.  Homans  conducted  an  expedition  sent  out  by  the  Government  to 
determine  the  difi'erence  in  longtitude  between  Liverpool  and  Boston,  and  the 
service  which  he  rendered  was  so  satisfactorily  performed  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Coast  Survey,  and  promoted  to  the  position  of  astronomer.  In 
1855  Mr.  Homans  succeeded  Prof.  Charles  Gill  as  actuary  of  the  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Co.,  and  in  that  capacity  displayed  his  remarkable  genius  for 
insurance.    He  compiled  the  American  Experience  Tables  of  Mortality,  which 


L)A\1L)    A  BOUDY. 


EDWARD   C.  GRAVES. 


GEORGE  LA  MONTE.  XAVER  SCHARWENKA. 


1 


Biograpliical  Sketches  of  Proinincnt  Citizens. 


121 


replaced  the  foreign  tables,  and  are  now  universally  used  in  this  country.  He 
was  sent  by  the  Mutual  Life  in  1861  to  Europe  to  study  British  insurance 
methods,  and  the  same  company  again  sent  him  abroad  in  18G9  to  attend  the 
International  Statistical  Congress  at  The  Hague,  where  he  also  represented  the 
American  Geographical  Society.  In  1875  he  organized  the  Provident  Savings 
Life  Assurance  Society  of  New  York,  the  specialty  of  which  was  to  furnish 
renewable  terms  of  life  insurance,  and  was  its  first  President.  Under  his 
management  this  enterprise  became  a  strong  and  influential  organization. 
He  resigned  the  Presidency  in  1893,  after  forty  years  in  the  Avide  field  of  life 
insurance.  Long  before  the  close  of  his  active  and  distinguished  career,  he 
was  considered  a  leading  authority  on  life  insurance  statistics  at  home  and 
abroad.  His  residence  was  at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  where  he  was  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  public-spirited  citizens,  being  President  of  the 
Englewood  Club,  the  Burnside  Cemetery  Association,  and  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  Englewood  School  for  Boys.  In  the  Metropolis  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Union  League  Club,  Century  Association,  Lawyers'  Club,  New  York 
Yacht  and  Atlantic  Yacht  Clubs,  and  of  many  scientific  organizations.  He 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  creation  of  the  Greater  New  York,  to  the  reputa- 
tion of  which  City  he  had  so  liberally  contributed  by  his  career,  and  lived  to 
see  the  great  scheme  for  municipal  Consolidation  consummated  before  passing 
away  suddenly  in  January,  1898. 

A  cordial  indorser  of  Consolidation  in  the  New  York  business  world  was 
George  La  Monte,  a  well-known  paper  manufacturer  of  New  York,  and 
President  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bound  Brook,  N.  J.,  who  was  born  in 
Schoharie  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1834.  After  obtaining  a  thorough  preliminary 
education,  Mr.  La  Monte  entered  Union  College  and  graduated  in  the  class 
of  '57.  For  several  years  following  the  completion  of  his  college  course,  Mr. 
La  Monte  was  President  of  a  college  for  young  women  in  Virginia.  In  this 
position  he  was  eminently  sucoessful.  In  1865  he  came  to  New  York  and 
began  his  commercial  career  as  a  manufacturer  of  j^aper,  becoming  connected 
in  187-4  with  the  firm  of  Campbell,  Hall  &  Co.,  at  thut  time  the  oldest  and 
largest  paper  house  in  New  York,  having  been  originally  founded  in  1787. 
Subsequently  the  firm  changed  to  Campbell  &  Smith,  and  Augustine  Smith  & 
Co.  Mr.  La  Monte  remained  a  member  of  the  firm  through  these  successive 
changes,  and  at  length  became  the  sole  proprietor.  Under  his  conduct  the 
prestige  of  the  ancient  house  has  been  maintained,  and  its  business  extended. 
The  National  Safety  Paper  used  extensively  by  banks  and  bankers  was  invented 
by  Mr.  La  Monte,  and  is  still  made  exclusively  by  his  firm.  In  1888  Mr. 
La  Monte  organized  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bound  Brook,  and  he  has  been 
the  President  of  this  successful  enterprise  ever  since  its  establishment.  In 
1888  he  was  the  Prohibition  candidate  for  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  he 
has  been  identified  with  many  movements  for  the  purification  of  politics  in 
his  adopted  State.    Upon  his  extensive  farm  at  Bound  Brook,  one  of  the 


122 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


finest  in  New  Jersey,  ho  finds  Lis  enjoyment  and  recreation.  Though  essen- 
tially domestic  in  his  tastes,  Mr.  La  Monte  is  a  prominent  member  of  tiio 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  of  the  Alumni  Association  of 
Union  College,  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,  and  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art. 

One  of  the  distinguished  representatives  of  the  musical  art  who  indorsed 
the  Consolidation  movement  was  Xavier  Scharwenka,  the  composer  and  pianist, 
who  was  born  in  January,  1850,  at  Samter,  in  the  Prussian  province  of 
Posen.  In  1865  the  family  moved  to  Berlin,  where  young  Scharwenka 
studied  the  piano  under  Kullak  and  composition  under  Richard  Wuerst. 
After  completing  hia  studies,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  professors  at  Kul- 
lak's,  and  after  four  years  of  hard  work  and  earnest  study,  he  gave  his  first 
concert  at  the  famous  Sing-Akademie,  of  Berlin,  when  his  talent  and  ability 
received  immediate  recognition.  Since  then  he  has  made  no  less  than  187 
appearances  in  Berlin,  and  frequent  concert  tours  in  Germany,  Russia, 
Austria,  Hungary,  Sweden,  Norway,  Belgium  and  England.  He  is  the  com- 
poser of  sixty-two  original  works.  Of  his  Polish  dances  it  is  said  that  no 
less  that  1,500,000  copies  have  been  sold  in  the  United  States.  He  holds  the 
appointment  of  Court  Pianist  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  the  title  of 
"Royal  Prussian  Professor."  He  is  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  representa- 
tive men  of  the  modern  school  of  German  musicians,  to  which  belong  his 
brother  Philip,  Moszkowski  and  Nicode.  His  reputation  as  a  musician 
and  as  the  founder  of  the  Scharwenka  Conservatory  of  Music  in  Berlin  had 
preceded  his  first  visit  to  the  United  States  in  1890,  and  paved  the  way  for 
the  establishment  of  the  Scharwenka  Conservatory  of  Music  in  this  City. 
The  latter,  to  which  he  devotes  his  entire  attention  as  Musical  Director,  is 
conducted  at  35  East  Sixty-second  Street,  under  the  management  of  Emil 
Gramm,  and  affords  instruction  for  students  of  all  grades,  under  eminent 
American  and  European  artists. 

J.  Fletcher  Shera,  a  representative  of  the  younger  generation  of  financiers 
of  Greater  New  York,  has  attained  his  position  in  the  Metropolis  by  his 
unaided  efforts.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1865,  and  after  a  public- 
school  education  received  a  thorough  business  training  in  the  Packard  Insti- 
tute. Occupying  responsible  positions  with  Young  &  Riggs,  Young  &  Morse, 
and  C.  M.  Whitney  &  Co.,  he  came  in  touch  with  all  the  leading  American 
and  foreign  investing  corporations,  and  gained  the  valuable  experience  which 
he  has  brought  to  his  own  business.  After  several  years'  partnership  with 
Frederick  F.  Ames,  on  March  1,  1895,  he  associated  himself  with  Charles  J. 
Townsend,  and  formed  the  firm  of  Townsend  &  Shera.  His  partner's  father, 
John  P.  Townsend,  who  is  a  special  partner,  is  President  of  the  Bowery 
Savings  Bank,  the  largest  savings  bank  in  America.  An  important  factor  of 
Mr.  Shera's  early  recognition  in  "the  street,"  was  the  discovery  of  a  long- 
hidden  error  of  over  $1,000,000  in  the  books  of  a  large  corporation.  This 


LOUIS  WINDMULLER. 


WILLIAM   N.  PEAK. 


Biographical  Sketches  of  Prominent  Citizens. 


123 


revelation  was  directly  attributable  to  his  skill  as  au  expert  accountant  and  liis 
thorouKli  knowledge  of  financial  business.  During  Lis  eleven  years'  career 
lie  has  commanded  the  respect  of  his  colleagues  and  won  popularity  and 
prominence  for  his  conscientious  course  in  the  transaction  of  business.  His 
firm  conducts  a  general  banking  and  brokerage  busincHs  for  an  influential  class 
of  customers  avIu)  indorse  the  firm's  ccmHt  i ■^ utivc,  v<  lial)le  and  trustworthy 
methods.  Mr.  Shera  married  Etheliuda  ^biisc,  diuigiiter  of  the  late  J.  B. 
Morse,  and  great-granddaugliter  of  Commodore!  Yanderliilt.  He  is  the  young- 
est trustee  of  the  old  John  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  first 
church  of  that  denomination  founded  in  America. 

William  H.  Weljb,  whosu  achioveuu'iits  in  American  slupbuildiug  are  one 
of  the  glories  of  his  native  city,  was  born  in  New  York  June  1!>,  1816.  He 
descends  from  lti(;hard  Webb,  who  was  made  a  freeman  of  Cambridge,  Mass., 
in  1632,  and  on  his  maternal  side  from  early  Huguenot  settlers  of  New  York. 
His  father,  Isaac  Webb,  was  a  partner  of  Henry  Eckford,  a  famous  ship- 
builder three-quarters  of  a  ceuturv  ago,  and  from  him  he  inherited  the  talent 
which,  assiduously  cidtivated,  made  him  one  of  America's  greatest  ship- 
builders. Soon  after  emerging  from  his  teens,  he  became  a  sub-contractor 
under  his  father  for  the  construction  of  ocean-going  vessels,  and,  applying 
himself  to  the  mastery  of  naval  science,  entered  upon  a  career  which  was  as 
remarkal)le  for  originality  and  enteri)rise  as  for  the  world-wide  renown  which 
it  earned.  No  problem  of  ship  construction  was  too  great  for  his  versatile 
talents,  and  he  built  every  kind  of  sailing  and  steam  craft  for  shallow  or  deep 
water,  from  a  fishing  smack  to  a  man-of-war.  His  clipper  ships,  of  which 
the  "Young  America"  was  the  most  famous,  ruled  the  wave,  and  for  the  time 
spread  consternation  among  the  maritime  nations  of  Europe.  Another 
famous  product  of  his  yards  was  the  steam  revenue  cutter  "Harriet  Lane, " 
which  was  captured  by  the  confederates  and  converted  into  a  blockade  runner. 
His  construction  of  the  warship  "General  Admiral"  for  the  Kussian  Govern- 
ment, upon  new  plans  of  his  own  invention,  after  the  American,  French,  and, 
at  first,  the  Kussian  Governments  had  declined  his  propositions,  is  one  of  the 
romances  of  American  shii^-building.  This  ship  wrought  a  complete  revolu- 
tion in  the  construction  of  vessels  of  war,  and  won  for  him  contracts  from 
Spain,  France  and  Italy.  His  135th  and  last  ship  was  launched  in  1869, 
whereupon  he  retired  upon  his  well-earned  laurels.  Although  pre-eminently 
a  master  of  naval  architecture,  Mr.  Webb  also  had  other  extensive  business 
interests.  The  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  found  him  engaged  in  the  impor- 
tation of  guano  from  the  uninhabited  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  this 
he  had  encountered  the  strong  opposition  of  the  Peruvian  guano  interests, 
which  he  overcame  by  establishing  lines  of  steamships  to  Europe  and  building 
his  own  warehouses  in  France  and  Germany,  but  the  risks  of  the  war  and  the 
loss  of  the  Southern  market  led  him  eventually  to  abandon  the  business.  He 
also  established  the  first  line  of  steamships  from  San  Francisco  to  Australia, 


124  New  York :  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

really  before  the  country  was  ready  for  it,  and  failing  to  receive  the  subsidy 
from  the  Government  which  President  Grant  advocated,  he  gave  up  the  enter- 
prise only  to  have  it  more  fully  appreciated  and  taken  up  by  the  British 
Government.  Mr.  Webb's  broad  mind  and  stainless  character  Avere  recognized 
by  his  fellow-citizens  of  both  political  parties,  who  offered  him  the  mayoralty 
of  New  York  three  times  without  inducing  him  to  become  an  office-holder. 
His  philanthropic  instincts  have  expressed  themselves  in  many  ways,  notably 
in  the  building  and  endowment  of  "  Webb's  Academy  and  Home  for  Ship 
Builders"  in  New  York  City. 

Louis  Windmiiller,  merchant,  who,  as  the  representative  of  Queens,  made 
speeches  before  Mayor  Strong  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  favor  of 
Consolidation,  and  was  very  active  at  local  meetings,  was  born  at  Miinster, 
Westphalia,  in  1835,  and  was  educated  by  self-application,  and  at  the 
Academy  of  Miinster.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  established  him- 
self in  business  in  the  metropolis  of  the  New  World,  and  for  nearly  forty-five 
years  has  successfully  pursued  his  chosen  vocation.  One  of  the  best  evi- 
dences of  his  lionorable  methods  is  the  fact  that  in  all  this  long  period  he 
has  invariably  met  his  financial  obligations  at  maturity.  While  carefully 
managing  his  own  affairs,  which  extend  over  almost  every  part  of  the  globe, 
he  found  time  to  assist  in  the  direction  of  corporations  like  the  German 
American  Insurance  Co.  and  the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust  Co.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  these  companies,  which  belong  to  the  most  successful  of 
their  kind  in  the  country.  Mr.  Windmiiller  is  not  so  completely  engrossed 
in  affairs  that  he  cannot  patronize  art  and  literature,  for  which  he  has  a  fond- 
ness, and  contributions  from  his  pen  appear  from  time  to  time  in  the  daily 
and  periodical  press.  He  is  a  collector  of  choice  books  and  pictures.  He 
has  never  held  political  office,  but  is  Treasurer  of  the  Reform  Club,  a  vestry- 
man of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  at  Woodside,  and  has  served  actively  in 
various  committees  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  as  a  Director  of  the 
Legal  Aid  Society.  In  addition  to  these  organizations,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Lotos,  New  York  Athletic,  Merchants',  Twilight  and  German  Press  Clubs, 
the  Merchants'  Association,  the  Arion,  German,  and  New  York  Historical 
Societies,  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  German  Hospital  and  Immigra- 
tion Protective  League. 

Chauncey  Mitchell  Depew,  whose  address  in  favor  of  municipal  union, 
delivered  before  the  New  England  Society  in  Brooklyn,  December  21,  1894, 
attracted  widespread  attention  and  exerted  a  great  influence  in  favor  of  the 
movement,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  figures  of  the  present  generation  of 
New  Yorkers. 

James  E.  March  exerted  a  powerful  influence  among  his  Italian  -  American 
fellow  citizens  in  favor  of  consolidation.  He  possesses  a  personality  and  record 
so  interesting  as  to  merit  especial  mention.  As  an  example  of  self  -  achieved 
success,  it  is  not  likely  that  any  other  man  has  won  prosperity  in  the  face 
of  such  adverse  circumstances  as  has  Mr.  March.  Born  in  Italy  (at  Albano 
di  Lucania,  Province  of  Potenza),  his  name  originally  was  Antonio  Maggio.  He 
belonged  to  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  best-known  families  in  Albano. 
Coming  to  this  country  in  December,  1873,  a  penniless  lad,  he  traveled  to  a 
place  called  Constableville,  Lewis  County,  New  York,  where  he  secured  employ- 


JAMES    K.  MARtH. 


BiograpMcal  Sketches  of  Prominent  Citizens. 


125 


ment  with  a  grocer  by  name  of  Charles  Bennett.  From  there  he  went  to  Har- 
risburg,  m  the  same  county,  wliere  lie  apprenticed  himself  with  Clias.  D.  Kilham, 
a  farmei-,  with  whom  lie  worked  for  over  two  years,  simply  for  board  and  cloth- 
ing, during  wliich  time  he  attended  the  district  school.  From  Ilarrisburg,  iu 
March,  ISTC,  he  went  to  Lowville,  Lewis  County,  where  he  was  hired  by  Mr. 
Chas.  Ciirtiss  to  pe.ldle  milk,  receiving  from  .Mr.  Curtiss  his  first  wages  for 
services  rendered.  He  became  such  a  favorite  with  his  employer  that  the  latter 
repeatedly  suggested  adopting  him  as  his  son  and  olfered  him  every  inducement, 
but  to  this  Mr.  March  would  not  agree.    In  the  spring  of  he  began  busi- 

ness on  his  own  account,  by  peddling  milk  through  the  village  of  Lowville,  while 
diligently  attending  the  Lowville  Academy.  He  passed  the  Regents'  examination 
in  1880,  came  to  New  York,  and  secured  employment  with  the  Union  News 
Company. 

In  the  course  of  three  months  he  was  offered  employment  by  Mr.  M.  E.  Staples, 
General  Agent  of  the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western  Railroad,  as  usher. 
Promotion  came  quickly  to  doorman,  and  from  that  to  train-starter.  He  then 
assisted  in  running  the  emigration  train,  his  ability  to  speak  the  Italian  language 
making  his  services  valuable  to  the  Company. 

During  the  trouble  with  the  'longshoremen  in  1882  Mr.  March  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Company's  docks.  Through  his  efforts  the  Company  was  successful 
in  adjusting  the  difficulty,  and  Mr.  Mai  ch'-^  stM  vices  were  of  such  value  as  to  be 
gratefully  recalled  by  the  officials  of  the  lohl.  In  1  s>.:]  lie  left  the  Company's  serv- 
ice to  go  into  the  liquor  business,  but  at  tlie  rt-peati/d  solicitation  of  Messrs.  Barrett 
and  Starr,  prominent  officials  of  the  Erie  li.  K.,  he  re-entered  the  Company's  em- 
ployment in  1885,  and  was  appointed  general  overseer  of  the  Italians  employed  on 
the  tracks,  numbering  from  3,000  to  3,000  men.  He  was  granted  also  commis- 
sary privileges.  This  position  he  has  efficiently  filled  until  the  present  day.  His 
investments  and  financial  affairs  have  been  increasingly  important  and  uniformly 
successful.    He  is  now  numbered  among  the  semi-millionaires  of  the  metropolis. 

In  politics  Mr.  March  is  a  Kepubli(;an,  and  is  Chairman  of  the  regular  Republican 
organization  of  the  Sixth  Assembly  District,  with  headquarters  at  37  Marion  street. 

Mr.  March  has  always  been  ready  with  advice  and  assistance  for  his  fellow  coun- 
trymen. He  takes  priile  in  the  fact  that  his  success  is  entirely  due  to  his  own 
efforts,  backed  by  perseverance  and  ambition.  His  purse  is  always  open  to  help  any 
deserving  cause,  and  he  contributes  freely  to  the  political  party  with  which  he  is 
associated,  looking  for  no  reward  other  than  the  prosperity  which  its  success  pro- 
motes. 

Mr.  March  has  built  a  handsome  summer  residence  for  his  family  at  Lowville, 
where  he  attended  school  and  first  embarked  in  business.  He  is  regarded  by  the 
citizens  there  with  much  pride  as  a  remarkable  example  of  the  manner  in  which 
hardships  may  be  overcome  and  success  assured  by  energy,  sound  sense  and  self- 
denial. 

William  N.  Peak,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  a  strong  advocate  of  Municipal 
Consolidation,  was  born  in  England,  received  his  education  in  this  country, 
and  as  a  youth  became  identified  with  the  wall-paper  industry.  His  honor- 
able methods  and  sound  business  judgment  enabled  him  to  rapidly  forge  his 
way  to  a  front  rank,  first  as  a  merchant  dealer  and  afterward  as  a  manufac- 
turer.   He  has  been  a  citizen  of  Brooklyn  for  about  thirty  years,  and  during 


126 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


the  past  twenty  years  prominent  in  many  ways.  His  manufacturing  plant 
was  established  in  the  Centennial  year  1876,  the  building  l)eing  four  stories 
in  height,  and  covering  a  whole  block  in  South  Brooklyn,  with  a  floor  surface 
area  of  some  100,000  square  feet.  The  equipment  of  the  factory,  under  the 
iusijiration  of  his  i^rogressive  ideas,  is  as  perfect  as  modern  apjdiances  of 
machinery  and  mechanical  skill  can  make  it.  His  innate  love  of  art  led  him 
to  H(!ok  designs  of  merit,  and,  while  using  those  of  skillful  foreign  artists,  he 
has  constantly  found  opportunity  to  liberally  encourage  home  talent  of  our 
now  Greater  New  York  decorative  and  art  schools.  The  love  of  art  has  also 
led  him  to  gather  many  of  the  works  of  the  best  masters,  which  adorn  the 
walls  of  his  home.  While  conducting  and  personally  supervising  a  factory 
which  produces  millions  of  rolls  of  wall  paper  each  year,  he  has  at  the  same 
time  acquired  large  holdings  of  real  estate  in  Brooklj  n  on  the  Ocean  Boule- 
vard, and  in  the  Bensonhurst  and  Flatbush  districts.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Hamilton,  Montauk  and  Kiding  and  Driving  clubs,  and  local  institutions  con- 
nected with  the  arts  and  sciences.  His  business  qualities  have  won  for  him 
a  large  clientage  and  liberal  prosperity,  while  his  personal  and  social  qualities 
have  endeared  him  to  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances  and  friends. 

Louis  Liebman,  who,  as  has  been  said  on  page  79,  was  one  of  the  four  men 
who  met  at  the  Montauk  Club  and  projected  the  Consolidation  League  of 
Brooklyn,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1845,  and  came  to  New  York  City  in 
1860.  Five  years  later  he  moved  to  Brooklyn,  and  entered  the  dry  goods 
business,  which  he  has  conducted  for  a  third  of  a  century  with  eminent  suc- 
cess. He  and  his  brother  Herman  Liebman  were  formerly  the  active  part- 
ners of  the  firm  of  Frederick  Loeser  &  Co.  They  erected  the  "Universal" 
building  in  "Washington  Street,  and  occupied  it  as  Liebman  Brothers  & 
Owings,  until  the  extension  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  made  the  locality  unde- 
sirable for  their  business  and  compelled  their  removal.  They  are  now  man- 
agers of  the  "Liebman  Arcade,"  at  Fulton,  Livingston  and  Hoyt  streets — a 
unique  institution,  consisting  of  fifty  or  sixty  different  departments  of  dry 
goods  and  furnishing  business,  each  of  which  is  controlled  by  individual 
owners,  under  the  general  management  of  the  Messrs.  Liebman.  During 
Mayor  Whitney's  term  of  office,  Mr.  Liebman  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  in  which  position  he  served  for  three  years.  In  the 
formation  of  the  Consolidation  League  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  organiz- 
ing committee  of  seven,  and  was  subsequently  one  of  the  executive  committee 
of  three.  He  was  chosen  the  first  Secretary  of  the  League,  but  relinquished 
the  position  to  Sanders  Shanks  on  account  of  lack  of  time.  He  was  very 
active  in  securing  members  and  subscriptions  for  the  League,  and  devoted 
much  time  and  money  toward  the  accomplishments  of  its  objects.  In  social 
affairs  he  sustains  numerous  important  connections,  including  membership 
in  the  Brooklyn  Club  and  Unity  Club. 


CHAPTER  m. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  FRAMING  AND  ADOPTION  OF  THE  NEW  CITY  CHARTER  AND  A 
RESUME  OF  ITS  PROVISIONS. 

THE  passage  of  the  Consolidation  Act  crowTied  with  success  the  self- 
sacrificing  labors  of  many  ardent  and  patriotic  citizens,  extending 
in  one  case  at  least  over  a  period  equal  to  that  of  an  average  gen- 
eration. We  now  come  to  the  preparation  of  the  Charter,  and  at  this  point 
reach  a  distinct  dividing  line  in  the  history  of  this  movement.  The  accom- 
plishment of  Consolidation  and  the  manner  of  the  accomplishment  were  two 
different  questions,  and  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  everyone  mentioned  in 
these  pages  as  advocates  of  union  favored  the  method  of  union  j^rovided  in 
the  Consolidation  Act,  or  all  the  details  of  the  Charter  drawn  in  pursuance 
thereof. 

On  June  9,  1896,  Governor  Morton  appointed  the  members  of  the  Charter 
Commission  provided  for  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  in  the  Act,  and  the 
whole  Charter  Commission  was  constituted  as  follows :  Andrew  H.  Green, 
President  of  the  Inquiry  Commission;  William  L.  Strong,  Mayor  of  New 
York;  Frederick  W.  Wurster,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn;  Patrick  Jerome  Gleason, 
Mayor  of  Long  Island  City ;  Campbell  W.  Adams,  State  Engineer  and  Sur- 
veyor; Theodore  E.  Hancock,  Attorney  General;  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,  of 
New  York ;  Seth  Low,  of  New  York ;  John  F.  Dillon,  of  New  York ;  Ashbel 
P.  Fitch,  of  New  York ;  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  of  Brooklyn ;  Silas  B.  Dutcher, 
of  Brooklyn;  William  C.  De  Witt,  of  Brooklyn;  George  M.  Pinney,  Jr.,  of 
Staten  Island,  and  Garret  J.  Garretson,  of  Jamaica,  Queens  Count}'. 

On  June  25,  1896,  the  Commission  met  for  organization  and  elected  the 
Hon.  Benjamin  Franklin  Tracy  president.  Mr.  Fitch  was  obliged  to  resign 
from  the  Commission  and  the  Governor  appointed  ex-Mayor  Thomas  F. 
Gilroy  of  New  York  City  in  his  place.  In  November,  1896,  Judge  Garretson 
was  elected  by  the  people  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench,  and  Harrison  S. 
Moore  was  appointed  in  his  place.  AVith  these  changes,  the  Commissions 
stood  as  follows:  Benjamin  Franklin  Tracy,  President,  Andrew  Haswell 
Green,  William  L.  Strong,  Frederick  William  Wurster,  Patrick  Jerome 
Gleason,  Campbell  William  Adams,  Theodore  E.  Hancock,  Seth  Low,  John 
Forrest  Dillon,  Thomas  Francis  Gilroy,  Stewart  Lyndon  Woodford,  Silas 
Belden  Dutcher,  William  Cantine  DeWitt,  George  Miller  Pinney,  Jr.,  and 
Harrison  S.  Moore. 

The  drafting  of  the  Charter  was  a  task  which  might  well  have  dismayed  the 
able  minds  to  which  it  was  committed.    The  making  of  Charters,  from  the 


128 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


days  of  the  Barons  at  Eunnymede  to  the  present  time,  has  been  regarded  as 
the  most  delicate,  difficult,  and  sometimes  dangerous  duty  that  statesmen 
could  undertake.  Many  a  time  a  people  has  fought  unitedly  for  a  general 
principle,  but  fallen  apart  in  the  detailed  application  of  the  principle  after 
it  had  been  won,  as  notably  illustrated  by  the  "War  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion and  the  Civil  War.  Charters,  as  repositories  of  exclusive  or  popular 
rights,  have  always  been  most  jealously  regarded  by  those  whose  prerogatives 
were  affected,  and  the  problem  of  combining  into  one  harmonious  system  the 
many  diverse  privileges  enjoyed  by  the  numerous  municipalities  included 
within  the  area  of  the  new  City  of  New  York,  was  most  perplexing.  The 
interests  of  as  many  people  were  touched  as  were  involved  in  the  drafting  of 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States ;  for  it  is  a  striking  commentary  on  the 
growth  of  our  country  that  the  population  of  the  metropolitan  area  is  as  great 
to-day  as  that  of  the  thirteen  States  at  the  time  of  the  War  for  Independence. 

The  Commission  was  fortunate  in  having  at  its  head  the  trained  mind  of  an 
experienced  statesman  and  an  inheritor  of  the  old  New  England  principles  of 
self-government.  General  Tracy's  great-grandfather,  Thomas,  migrated  from 
New  England  to  New  York  State  in  1790,  and  his  father  Benjamin  was  born 
on  the  Holland  Purchase  in  1795.  General  Tracy  himself  was  born  in 
Owego,  N.  Y.,  April  26,  1830.  He  has  one  son,  Frank  B.  Tracy,  and  one 
daughter,  the  widow  of  Ferdinand  Yfilmerding.  His  wife  and  youngest 
daughter  perished  in  a  fire  which  destroyed  their  Washington  residence  in 
February,  1890.  General  Tracy  was  educated  in  the  Owego  Academy,  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  N.  W.  Davis,  Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1851. 
In  1853  he  became  the  Whig  nominee  for  District  Attorney  of  Tioga  County, 
and  was  elected,  although  Tioga  was  at  that  time  a  Democratic  stronghold. 
Three  years  later  he  was  re-elected.  In  1861  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
State  Assembly  on  a  union  Eepublican  and  Democratic  ticket.  In  1862  he 
recruited  two  regiments,  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninth  and  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-Seventh  New  York  Infantry,  becoming  Colonel  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Ninth.  For  two  years  this  regiment  saw  active  service  in  and 
around  Baltimore  and  Washington,  and  then  became  part  of  the  Ninth  Army 
Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  took  part  in  the  Virginia  campaign 
of  1864,  under  General  Grant.  At  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  on  May  6th, 
he  displayed  special  gallantry,  for  which  he  subsequently  received  a  medal  of 
honor  from  the  government.  In  the  autumn  of  1864  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  New  York  Volunteers.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  resigned  from  the  service,  having  been  brevetted 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  by  President  Lincoln,  in  March,  1865. 
After  the  War  General  Tracy  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Benedict,  Burr  &  Benedict,  in  New  York  City.  In 
1866  he  was  appointed  United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  Eastern  Dis- 
trict of  New  York.    He  was  also  the  author  of  an  internal  revenue  bill  regu- 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN  TRACY. 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission. 


181 


lating  the  collection  of  taxes  on  distilled  spirits,  whicli,  when  put  into  effect, 
increased  annually,  the  national  revenues  from  that  source  from  $13,000,000 
to  $50,000,000.  In  1873  he  resigned  his  official  position  to  devote  himself 
more  to  the  general  practice  of  law,  but  in  1881  was  appointed  Associate 
Judge  of  the  New  York  Court  of  Appeals,  a  position  which  he  held  for  one 
year.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  bench.  General  Tracy  resumed  the 
general  practice  of  law,  in  which  he  has  been  eminently  successful.  During 
Judge  Tracy's  service  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  he  wrote  two  of  the  most 
important  and  often-cited  opinions  ever  rendered  in  railroad  cases  before  that 
court.  These  were  the  celebrated  Story  Case,  deciding  that  abutting  property 
owners  in  the  City  of  New  York  were  entitled  to  damages  for  the  construction 
and  operation  of  elevated  railroads,  and  the  Stewart  Case,  which  established 
the  liability  of  railroads  for  injuries  wilfully  inflicted  upon  passengers  by 
their  employes,  reversing  all  previous  decisions  on  this  subject,  In  1889  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Cabinet  of  President  Harrison,  as  Secretary  of  the 
Navy.  In  this  position  he  left  a  record  as  one  of  the  ablest  secretaries  that 
had  ever  presided  over  the  Navy  Department.  He  made  radical  departures  in 
naval  construction  by  adopting  as  the  principal  type  of  vessel  for  the  navy 
the  first-class  armored  battleship.  The  type  was  only  adopted  after  strong 
opposition  both  in  Congress  and  in  the  press,  and  has  resulted  in  giving  the 
United  States  probably  the  best  naval  force,  ship  for  ship,  of  any  country  in 
the  world.  The  type  has  been  followed  with  practically  no  change  by  his 
successors.  The  Navy  is  indebted  to  Secretary  Tracy  for  two  other  types  of 
ships  of  war,  the  heavy  armored  cruisers,  and  the  swift  unarmored  cruisers. 
The  problem  of  securing  the  best  armor  for  ships  of  war,  which,  at  the  outset 
of  General  Tracy's  administration  was  yet  unsolved,  notwithstanding  the 
enormous  expenditures  of  foreign  nations  upon  ironclads,  was  carried  by 
him  to  a  successful  determination  by  a  series  of  important  and  novel  tests, 
devised  under  his  personal  direction.  The  result  was  the  development  of  an 
armor  which  has  since  been  adopted  by  every  nation  in  the  world.  Other 
important  reforms  of  his  administration  were  the  separation  of  navy  yard 
employment  from  politics,  by  which  the  efficiency  of  the  Government  dock- 
yards was  enormously  increased,  and  the  improvement  in  naval  administration 
which  enabled  the  Department  to  prepare  for  the  threatened  war  with  Chili 
with  a  rapidity  and  thoroughness  never  before  attained.  Since  his  retirement 
from  the  Navy  Department,  General  Tracy  has  been  counsel  in  many  cele- 
brated cases  in  both  the  State  and  Federal  Courts.  He  is  now  a  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  Tracy,  Boardman  and  Piatt.  As  a  lawyer,  his  long  experience 
in  an  exceptionally  varied  practice  has  given  him  a  broad  grasp  of  funda- 
mental principles,  while  as  an  advocate,  his  clear  and  skillful  methods  of  pre- 
sentation and  his  pov^ers  of  persuasive  speech  have  made  him  successful  alike 
before  judges  and  juries.    His  labors  on  the  Charter  Commission  added  to 


132  Neic  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

the  luster  of  liis  fame,  and  lie  was  nominated  by  the  Kepublican  party  to  be 
the  first  Mayor  of  the  Consolidated  City. 

William  L.  Strong,  the  last  Mayor  of  the  old  City  of  New  York,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Charter  Commission  by  virtue  of  his  office,  was  born  in  Kichland 
County,  O.,  March  22,  1827.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  went  to  Wooster,  O., 
and  then  to  Mansfield,  O.,  where  he  worked  in  the  dry  goods  business.  In 
1853  he  came  to  New  York  City,  and  entered  the  employ  of  L.  O.  Wilson  & 
Co. ,  one  of  the  largest  dry  goods  houses  in  New  York  at  that  time,  Wilson 
&  Co.  suspended  in  1857,  and  Mr.  Strong  went  to  the  house  of  Farnham, 
Dale  &  Co.,  with  which  firm  and  its  successors  he  remained  until  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  last  copartnership  in  December,  1869.  In  January,  1870,  he 
established  the  firm  of  Wo  L.  Strong  &  Co.  In  addition  to  his  dry  goods 
business,  he  found  it  advantageous  to  give  considerable  attention  to  banking, 
and  was  a  Director  of  the  Central  National  Bank  prior  to  1887,  when  he  was 
elected  its  President.  He  has  also  sustained  intimate  relations  with  the  Erie 
Eailroad,  New  York  Life  Insurance  Co.,  New  York  Security  and  Trust  Co., 
Hanover  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  and  other  corporations.  While  a  recog- 
nized Republican  all  his  life,  he  had  not  held  public  office  or  been  notably 
prominent  in  municipal  affairs  until  he  was  elevated  into  notice  on  the  reform 
wave  of  1894,  and  was  nominated  for  Mayor  by  the  United  Republicans, 
Committee  of  Seventy,  Good  Government  Clubs,  Anti-Tammany  Democracy 
and  Independent  County  organizations.  He  was  elected  November  6,  1894, 
receiving  154,094  votes  against  108,907  for  Hugh  J.  Grant,  Tammany  candi- 
date, and  9,128  scattering.  He  was  inaugurated  January  1,  1895,  and  held 
office  until  the  inauguration  of  the  first  Mayor  of  Greater  New  York,  January 
1,  1898.  By  virtue  of  his  office  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Charter  Com- 
mission, and  although  he  spoke  and  voted  for  a  municipal  Assembly  of  one 
chamber,  for  a  single  Police  Commissioner,  and  independent  Board  of  Elec- 
tions, and  for  the  Mayor's  continuous  power  of  removal  throughout  his  term, 
he  agreed  to  support  the  Charter  as  a  whole,  and  signed  the  report  with  his 
confreres.  No  little  public  surprise  was  caused,  therefore,  by  his  message  of 
April  7,  1897,  vetoing  the  Charter,  and  stating  that  he  had  signed  the  report 
upon  the  express  understanding  with  his  associates  that  "I  should  be  at 
liberty  publicly  to  state  the  especial  features  of  the  Charter  to  which  I  most 
strongly  objected. "  He  recommended  to  the  Legislature  amendments  pro- 
viding for  a  single-headed  Police  Commissioner,  an  index)endent  Bureau  of 
Elections,  and  continuous  power  of  removal  by  the  Mayor,  but  they  were  not 
adopted.  Mr.  Strong  is  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan,  Union  League,  Mer- 
chants, Eei)ublican,  Tandem  Field,  Wool,  New  York  Athletic,  and  Colonial 
Clubs,  American  Fine  Arts  Association,  American  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  American  Geographical  Society,  New 
England  Society,  and  Ohio  Society,  of  which  latter  he  was  President  for 
several  years.    His  wife  is  related  to  the  first  Mayor  of  New  York. 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission. 


133 


Frederick  "William  Wurster,  manufacturer  and  last  Mayor  of  the  City  of 
Brooklyn,  was  born  in  Plymouth,  N.  C,  April  1,  1850,  of  German  parents, 
who  had  come  to  America  about  1835.  In  1857  the  family  moved  to  Brooklyn, 
where  the  lad  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
started  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  axles,  his  capital  being  $250  cash 
and  the  $500  note  of  a  friend.  From  that  small  beginning,  by  shrewdness 
and  industry,  he  has  developed  his  large  factory  in  the  Eastern  District  of 
the  Borough.  As  his  business  increased  Mr.  Wurster  gradually  established 
other  connections.  For  thirteen  years  he  has  been  a  Trustee  of  the  Manufac- 
turers' National  Bank,  and  for  various  periods  has  been  a  Trustee  of  the 
Nassau  Trust  Company,  Kings  County  Building  and  Loan  Association,  and 
Manufacturers'  Association  of  Kings  and  Queens  Counties.  He  is  also 
Vice-President  of  the  Spring  and  Axle  Association  of  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Wurster's  political  rise  was  rapid.  He  had  been  President  of  the  Nineteenth 
Ward  Kepublican  Association  for  some  time  when  Mayor  Schieren  appointed 
him,  February  1,  1894,  to  be  Fire  Commissioner.  He  was  closely  identified 
with  Mayor  Schieren' s  business  administration,  and  when  the  latter  declined 
a  renomination  in  1895,  Mr.  Wurster  was  nominated,  both  on  account  of  his 
own  merits  and  as  an  indorsement  of  the  outgoing  administration.  In 
November,  1895,  he  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  2,095  over  Edward  M. 
Grout,  the  Democratic  candidate,  and  with  the  expiration  of  his  term,  the 
City  of  Brooklyn,  as  a  separate  municipality,  passed  out  of  existence.  In 
April,  1896,  as  previously  stated,  Mayor  Wurster  had  vetoed  the  Act  of  the 
Legislature  (which  eventually  became  a  law  May  11)  providing  for  Consoli- 
dation and  the  creation  of  the  Charter  Commission,  and  speaking  of  the  sub- 
ject subsequently  said:  "My  part  in  connection  with  Consolidation  has  been 
a  very  small  one.  I  simply  sat  and  heard  arguments  submitted  for  and 
against  the  proposal,  and  after  prominent  citizens  on  both  sides  had  expressed 
their  views,  I  could  see  no  other  course  open  to  me,  than  to  veto  a  measure 
which  did  not  contain  any  provision  for  the  discussion  of  the  matter  by  the 
people  of  Brooklyn,  and  the  proposal  by  them  of  any  necessary  changes.  It 
did  not  contain  a  referendum  to  the  citizens  of  Brooklyn,  and  I  believed,  as  I 
believe  now,  that  we  should  at  least  have  been  accorded  that  privilege. ' '  He 
signed  the  Charter  report,  however,  and  also  the  Charter  itself  when  sent  to 
him  by  the  Legislature,  although  he  did  not  agree  with  all  the  provisions. 
Mr.  Wurster  has  been  more  or  less  intimately  connected  with  the  prominent 
social  organizations  of  Brooklyn,  including  the  Union  League,  Hamilton, 
Oxford,  Aurora  Grata,  Manufacturers'  and  Hanover  Clubs,  of  which  latter  he 
was  President  for  three  terms. 

Patrick  Jerome  Gleason,  last  Mayor  of  Long  Island  City,  was  born  in  Fish- 
moyne,  Tipperary  County,  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in  1862.  In  1867, 
under  the  impression  that  he  had  been  born  April  15,  1844,  he  took  out 
naturalization  papers  upon  the  statement  that  he  was  a  minor  when  he  came 


134 


New  York:  Hie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


to  this  countrj^  but  in  1896  it  was  discovered  tlaat  be  was  baptized  April  25, 
1841,  and  on  September  29,  1896,  he  filed  new  application  papers  for  natural- 
ization. Meanwhile  Mr,  Gleason  had  come  prominently  into  view  by  his 
activity  in  the  City  of  Long  Island,  and  in  1886  was  elected  Mayor  of  that 
City,  This  position  he  held  continuously,  in  spite  of  strenuous  legal  efforts 
to  the  contrary,  from  January  1,  1887,  to  January  1,  1893,  and  again  from 
January  1,  1896,  until  the  Consolidation  of  the  Cities  went  into  effect  January 
1,  1898.  In  1895  his  election  was  carried  by  a  narrow  plurality  of  about 
thirty,  and  was  unsuccessfully  contested.  In  1896  he  was  the  nominee  of  the 
National  Democracy  for  Congressman  from  the  First  Congressional  District, 
but  failed  of  election.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Charter  Commission  in  con- 
sequence of  his  being  Mayor  of  one  of  the  Cities  included  in  the  area  to  be 
consolidated.  He  was  in  favor  of  leaving  Long  Island  City  out  of  the  plan 
for  Consolidation,  and  when  municipal  union  was  inevitable  he  favored  mak- 
ing Long  Island  City  a  separate  Borough.  In  the  latter  effort,  however,  he 
was  unsuccessful. 

Campbell  William  Adams,  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor,  eldest  son  of 
William  and  Caroline  Adams,  was  born  December  9,  1852,  in  Utica,  N.  Y., 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  Utica  Academy,  In 
1872  he  became  Assistant  to  the  City  Surveyor,  William  H.  Christian,  and 
upon  the  expiration  of  the  latter's  term,  they  continued  their  asssociation  in 
a  partnership  for  a  general  civil  engineering  business.  From  1875  to  1880 
he  was  traveling  salesman  for  Adams  Bros.,  rope  manufacturers,  but  in  the 
latter  year  resumed  his  profession,  being  appointed  City  Surveyor  by  Mayor 
Spriggs.  To  this  position  he  was  reappointed  successively  by  Mayors 
Miller,  Burdick  and  Sherman.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  Constructing  Engi- 
neer for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Co  ,  on  the  Albanj^  and  Susque- 
hanna division,  but  returned  to  Utica  a  year  later,  and  served  as  Assistant 
City  Surveyor  during  Mayor  Kinney's  administration.  In  1887  he  was  resi- 
dent engineer  of  the  Kome,  Watertown  &  Ogdensburg  Railroad  Co.,  and  in  1888, 
1889,  and  1890,  Assistant  City  Surveyor  again.  In  1891  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Adirondack  and  St.  Lawrence  Eailroad  enigneering  corps,  and  in  1892 
was  once  more  City  Surveyor  of  Utica,  In  1893  he  was  elected  State  Engi- 
neer and  Surveyor  by  a  plurality  of  24,486  over  his  Democratic  opponent, 
and  displayed  such  marked  ability  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  that  he  was 
re-elected  in  1895  by  a  plurality  of  86,941,  He  has  supervised  the  erection 
of  many  important  structures  throughout  the  State,  and  his  technical  knowl- 
edge was  of  substantial  value  in  framing  the  Charter  of  the  City.  He  attended 
all  but  two  or  three  meetings  of  the  Commission,  and  participated  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  Commission's  report  upon  the  feature  of  the  Charter  which 
retained  the  personal  property  assessment,  which  was  prominent  in  the  old 
New  York  Charter,  making  it  applicable  to  the  greater  City.  He  opposed 
the  draft  of  the  sections,  submitted  by  the  sub-committee,  upon  the  subject  of 


GEORGE   M.    PINNEY,  JR. 


GARRET    J,  GARRETSOxN. 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission. 


137 


the  granting  of  water  rights  of  land  under  water,  and  persistently  advocated 
and  to  a  successful  issue  the  retention  of  the  control  of  this  matter  by  the 
State  Land  Commissioners.  Mr.  Adams  married  Ida  Goodier,  of  Utica,  and 
has  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  His  eldest  son  is  a  student  at 
Cornell  University,  while  the  youngest  has  nearly  his  entire  life  before  him. 

Theodore  E.  Hancock,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  Attorney  General  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  is  a  native  of  Grauby,  Oswego  County,  N.  Y".,  where  he  was 
born  on  his  father's  farm  in  184:9.  Mr.  Hancock  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  Falley  Seminary,  Wesleyan  University,  Class  of 
'71,  and  Columbia  Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1873.  From 
the  beginning  of  his  professional  career  he  has  advanced  steadily  to  the  posi- 
tion he  now  holds  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Bar  of  this  State.  He  is  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Hancock,  Hogan  &  Devine,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
and  his  civil  and  criminal  cases  have  taken  him  into  every  judirial  district  in 
the  State.  He  has  argued  many  cases  in  the  New  York  Court  of  Appeals  and 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  For  three  years,  beginning  in  1889,  he 
was  District  Attorney  of  Onondaga  County.  In  1893  he  was  elected  Attorney 
General  of  the  State  by  a  majority  of  21,290  over  his  Democratic  opponent, 
and  at  that  time  incumbent  of  the  office,  Attorney  General  S.  W.  Eosendale, 
of  Albany.  In  this  position  his  distinguished  legal  ability  and  judicial  tem- 
perament were  conspicuously  apparent  and  marked  him  as  a  worthy  successor 
of  a  long  line  of  eminent  lawyers  and  jurists  who  had  preceded  him  in  the 
office.  In  1895  he  was  re-elected  by  a  i^lurality  of  94,758  over  Norton  Chase, 
receiving  the  largest  number  of  votes  of  any  of  the  Kei:)ublican  candidates. 
He  participated  in  the  meetings  of  the  Commission,  devoting  his  attention 
more  particularly  to  those  sections  of  the  Charter  relating  to  the  respective 
rights  and  interests  of  the  City  and  State  and  riijarian  proprietors  to  lands 
under  water  within  the  boundaries  of  the  new  municipality.  In  1880  Mr. 
Hancock  married  Martha  B.  Connolly,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa,,  and  has  two  sons 
and  one  daughter,  all  residents  of  Syracuse. 

Seth  Low,  son  of  Abiel  Abbot  Low,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  January 
18,  1850.  After  passing  through  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute,  he 
entered  Columbia  College,  from  which  he  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class 
in  1870.  Upon  leaving  college  he  became  a  clerk  in  his  father's  tea  import- 
ing house,  and  was  gradually  given  more  responsible  duties,  until  in  1875  he 
was  admitted  to  the  firm.  In  1881  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  City  of 
Brooklyn,  upon  the  independent  ticket,  and  in  consequence  of  his  satisfactory 
administration,  was  re-elected  in  1883.  His  efforts  to  effect  municipal 
reforms  and  economics  were  rewarded  with  a  large  measure  of  success,  and 
attracted  attention  throughout  the  country.  After  a  short  residence  abroad, 
he  resumed  his  commercial  pursuits,  but  on  October  7,  1889,  he  accepted  a 
call  to  the  Presidency  of  Columbia  University  to  succeed  Dr.  F.  A.  P.  Bar- 
nard, deceased.    Taking  up  his  residence  in  New  York  City,  he  applied  him- 


138 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


self  with  great  diligence  to  the  promotion  of  that  institution's  prosperitj',  and 
under  his  administration,  the  University's  growth  was  so  rapid  that  the 
necessity  of  new  quarters  became  imperatively  necessary,  and  in  1892  the 
acquisition  of  the  beautiful  site  on  Morningside  Heights  was  determined 
upon.  The  purchase  of  the  site  and  the  erection  of  the  new  University 
buildings  were  accomplished  largely  through  Mr.  Low's  efforts  and  his  dona- 
tion, in  1895,  of  $1,000,000,  for  the  construction  of  the  library.  A  man  of 
culture  and  wealth,  he  has  had  both  the  inclination  and  means  to  promote  in 
the  most  practical  manner  the  educational  and  charitable  interests  of  the 
metropolis.  He  was  a  founder  of  the  Brooklyn  Bureau  of  Charities,  and  its 
first  President.  On  the  Charter  Commission,  his  knowledge  and  experience 
were  of  the  greatest  value  in  the  preparation  of  those  sections  bearing  on  the 
subject  of  education.  He  strongly  objected  to  the  bi-cameral  system  of  muni- 
cipal legislation,  in  common  with  Mayor  Strong  and  others,  and  to  certain 
other  features  of  the  Charter  as  finally  adopted.  In  1897  he  was  nominated 
by  the  Citizens'  Union  to  be  first  Mayor  of  the  Consolidated  City  of  New 
York,  and  in  a  triangular  campaign  remarkable  for  its  intensity  on  all  sides, 
received  151,540  votes,  to  233,997  for  Van  Wyck,  Tammany  Democrat,  101,- 
873  for  Tracy,  regular  Republican,  and  21,893  for  George,  Jeffersonian 
Democrat.  After  the  election,  his  resignation  as  President  of  Columbia  not 
having  been  accepted,  he  resumed  his  former  relations  with  the  university. 
He  is  also  one  of  the  Eapid  Transit  Commissioners  of  the  City.  He  is  a 
member  of  numerous  social,  literary  and  scientific  organizations,  including 
the  City,  University,  Authors,  Century,  Metropolitan,  University  Glee,  Down 
Town,  Barnard  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Clubs,  Scientific  Alliance,  Columbia 
Alumni  Association,  Dunlap,  New  England,  American  Geographical  and 
American  Fine  Arts  Societies,  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  and  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 

John  Forrest  Dillon,  a  jurist  and  eminent  lawyer,  of  New  York,  was  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  N.  Y.,  December  25,  1831.  He  was  educated  at 
Iowa  University,  and  began  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  soon  abandoned 
for  that  of  law.  In  1858  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Seventh  Judicial  Circuit 
of  Iowa,  to  which  position  he  was  re-elected  in  1862  without  oppo- 
sition. In  1863  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Iowa,  and  re- 
elected in  1869,  becoming  Chief  Judge.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Grant  Judge  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  for  the  Eighth  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  served  until  1879,  when,  upon  being  appointed  Professor  of 
Eeal  Estate  and  Equity  Jurisprudence  in  Columbia  University-  Law  School, 
New  York,  he  resigned  his  office  of  Federal  Judge.  Judge  Dillon  then 
removed  to  New  York,  and  began  the  duties  of  his  law  professorship  and  the 
practice  of  law  in  this  City,  where  his  conspicuous  ability,  and  high  reputa- 
tion as  a  jurist  soon  brought  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  the  gen- 
eral or  consulting  counsel  of  several  large  corporations,  including  the  Union 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission. 


139 


Pacific,  Missouri  Pacific,  Manhattan  and  Western  Union  Companies.  Since 
taking  up  his  residence  in  New  York,  he  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  many  important  public  interests  of  the  community,  foremost  of  which 
was  the  Greater  New  York  Charter  Commission,  of  which  body  he  was  a 
valued  member.  Judge  Dillon  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  club  and  society 
life  of  the  metropolis.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  the  Uni- 
versity Club,  the  Bar  Association,  the  Barnard  Club,  Lawyers'  Club  and 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association 
of  New  York  State,  the  American  Bar  Association,  of  which  he  was  sometime 
President,  and  the  Institut  de  Droit  International.  His  personal  tastes  are 
essentially  literary,  and  he  has  a  particular  predilection  for  the  literature  of 
his  profession.  He  is  the  author  of  a  standard  treatise  on  Municipal  Cor- 
porations and  other  legal  works.    His  residence  is  at  Far  Hills,  N.  J. 

Thomas  Francis  Gilroy,  ex-Mayor  of  New  York,  was  born  in  Ireland,  June 
3,  1840,  and  came  to  New  York  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 
His  rise  to  the  distinction  of  Mayer  of  the  Metropolis  of  the  New  "World  was 
due  to  his  innate  ability  exercised  in  the  midst  of  favorable  environment.  He 
received  a  good  public  school  education,  followed  by  a  course  in  the  New  York 
Free  Academy,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  a  printer;  but  his  alertness  and 
bright  mind  attracted  the  attention  of  City  officials,  and  in  1862  he  was  ap- 
pointed Clerk  in  the  Comptroller's  office.  From  this  position  he  passed  through 
those  of  Clerk  of  the  Aqueduct  Board,  Clerk  in  the  Supreme  Court,  Clerk  in 
the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Judicial  Courts,  Deputy  County  Clerk,  and  Under  Sherijff 
of  New  York  County.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court  Ke- 
ceiver  of  the  extensive  establishment  of  Mitchell,  Vance  &  Co.,  which  had 
become  bankrui^t,  and  managed  the  affairs  of  that  concern  with  such  ability 
that  in  six  months  they  were  able  to  resume  business.  In  May,  1889,  Mayor 
Grant  appointed  him  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  for  four  years,  during 
which  he  not  only  earned  the  credit  of  materially  retrenching  the  expenses  of 
the  City,  but  effected  important  reforms  in  regard  to  subways  for  water 
pipes  and  wires,  pavements  and  water  supply.  In  1890  he  visited  Europe  to 
study  the  systems  of  street  cleaning  and  paving  in  use  abroad,  and  the  knowl- 
edge thus  obtained  was  of  great  value  to  the  City.  In  May,  1891,  he  was 
elected  Grand  Sachem  of  Tammany  Hall,  of  which  for  many  years  he  had 
been  a  leading  spirit.  On  November  8,  1892,  Mr.  Gilroy  was  elected  Mayor 
of  the  City  of  New  York  to  succeed  Hugh  J.  Grant,  receiving  the  support  of 
many  independent  voters  who  had  confidence  in  his  knowledge  of  municipal 
affairs,  his  business  ability  and  his  personal  integrity,  and  he  received  a 
larger  majority  than,  any  previous  candidate  ever  received  for  that  office. 
Upon  the  Charter  Commission  he  gave  special  attention  to  those  sections 
which  related  to  the  Finance  Department,  and  which  were  referred  to  him  as  a 
sub-committee  to  prepare.  He  also  took  special  interest  in  the  Chapter  relat- 
ing to  the  Police  Department,  and  proceedings  for  the  condemnation  of  land, 


140 


New  Yoj'k:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


and  was  a  member  of  the  sub-committee  to  draft  the  Charter.  Mr.  Gilroy  is 
a  member  of  the  Mauhattan,  Democratic,  Hardware  and  Sagamore  Clubs,  and 
a  patron  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art.  In  1864  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Sheridan,  of  New  York  City,  and  has  ten  children. 

Stewart  Lyndon  "Woodford,  lawyer,  soldier  and  diplomat,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  September  3,  1835,  and  received  a  higher  education  at  Yale  and 
Columbia  Universities,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1854.  Three  years  later 
he  began  the  practice  of  law,  and  soon  attracted  attention  not  only  in  his  pro- 
fession, but  in  the  councils  of  the  Kepublican  party.  In  1860  he  was  ap- 
pointed Messenger  of  the  Electoral  College  of  New  York,  to  carry  to  Wash- 
ington the  vote  of  New  York  State  for  Lincoln;  and  in  1861  was  made  Assist- 
ant United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  Southern  Distict  of  New  York. 
But  the  existence  of  the  Civil  War  making  too  strong  an  appeal  to  his  patriot- 
ism, in  1862  he  resigned  and  entered  the  Army.  He  served  for  a  time  in 
Virginia,  and  was  then  transferred  to  South  Carolina,  becoming  General 
Quincy  A.  Gilmore's  Chief  of  Staff.  Later  he  held  the  responsible  positions 
of  Commandant  at  Charleston,  and  afterward  at  Savannah,  and  before  the 
close  of  the  War,  had  won  the  Brevet  of  Brigadier-General,  with  assignment  to 
active  duty,  according  to  his  brevet  rank.  In  1865  General  Woodford  was 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  of  New  York,  and  in  1870  was  nominated  for 
Governor,  but  was  defeated  by  John  T.  Hoffman.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
to  Congress,  and  was  also  Presidential  Elector-at-Large  on  the  Eepublican 
ticket,  and  was  President  of  the  Electoral  College,  which  cast  its  vote  for 
Grant  for  a  second  term.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York,  serving  until  1883,  after 
which  he  resumed  his  private  law  joratice.  He  was  called  out  of  private  life 
again  in  1896  to  serve  on  the  Greater  New  York  Commission.  General 
W^oodford  was  fertile  of  suggestions  concerning  all  the  departments  of  munici- 
pal affairs  discussed,  but  was  especially  interested  in  the  educational  and 
financial  chapters  But  General  Woodford's  greatest  and  most  recent  distinc- 
tion has  been  his  service  as  Envo}^  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipoten- 
tiary to  Spain  by  President  McKinley's  appointment  in  1897.  It  fell  to 
General  Woodford's  lot  to  conduct  the  very  difiicult  diplomatic  negotiations 
which  culminated  in  the  war  with  Spain,  during  which  delicate  transactions 
he  most  ably  protected  the  interests  of  the  United  States,  and  unflinchingly 
maintained  his  post  of  personal  danger  until  he  asked  for  his  passports  from 
the  Spanish  Government,  April  21,  1898.  He  has  been  deeply  interested  in 
educational  matters,  and  since  1867  has  been  a  trustee  of  Cornell  University. 
By  virtue  of  his  patriotic  ancestry,  General  Woodford  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  the  Founders  and  Patriots  of  America,  of  which  he  is  Governor- 
General,  the  Sons  of  the  American  Kevolution,  and  of  the  Military  Order  of 
Foreign  Wars.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association,  Loyal  Legion, 
the  New  England  Society,  of  which  he  has  been  President,  the  Hamilton, 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission.  14.3 

Montauk,  Lawyers'  and  University  Clubs,  and  the  Union  League  of  Brooklyn, 
of  which  he  has  also  been  President.  In  1857  he  married  Julia  Evelyn 
Capen  at  New  York  City,  and  has  had  four  children,  three  daughters  and  one 
son,  of  whom  only  the  youngest  daughter  is  now  living. 

Silas  Belden  Dutcher,  of  Brooklyn,  financier,  and  an  ardent  Consolida- 
tionist  for  thirty -five  years,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
July  12,  1829,  and  educated  in  the  district  school  and  Cazenovia  Seminary. 
From  the  age  of  sixteen  to  twenty-two  he  taught  school  during  the  winter 
season,  and  worked  on  the  farm  the  rest  of  the  year,  and  for  the  next  three 
years  was  engaged  as  foreman  in  railroad  construction  .and  as  Station  Agent 
and  Conductor  in  operating  railroads.  In  18o5  he  came  to  New  York  City, 
and  conducted  a  successful  mercantile  business  until  the  close  of  1868,  when 
he  was  appointed  Supervisor  of  Internal  Revenue.  His  interest  in  politics, 
however,  antedated  this  appointment  some  twenty  years.  He  had  stumped 
for  General  Taylor  in  1848,  and  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party 
had  warmly  espoused  its  interests.  In  1858  and  1859  he  was  President  of 
the  Young  Men's  Republican  Committee,  and  in  1860  President  of  the  Wide 
Awake  organization  in  New  York  City.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected 
Supervisor  of  the  County  of  New  York,  succeeding  the  Hon.  John  A.  Ken- 
nedy, who  became  Superintendent  of  Police.  He  resigned  this  position, 
however,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  and  removed  to  Brooklyn.  In  1870,  greatly 
against  his  own  inclination  and  judgment,  he  accepted  the  nomination  for  Con- 
gress against  Thomas  Kinsella,  and  although  defeated,  the  Democratic 
majority  was  about  4,000  less  than  at  the  previous  election.  In  1872  he 
resigned  the  office  of  Supervisor  of  Internal  Revenue,  which  he  had  held  for 
four  years,  to  become  United  States  Pension  Agent,  but  he  also  resigned  the 
latter  in  1875,  to  accept  a  responsible  position  with  a  large  life  insurance 
company.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  Appraiser  of  the  Port  of  New  York, 
which  place  he  held  until  appointed  Superintendent  of  Public  Works  in  Jan- 
uary, 1880.  He  held  the  latter  position  for  three  years.  President  Arthur 
tendered  him  the  Commissionership  of  Internal  Revenue,  but  he  declined 
because  he  had  decided  that  he  had  given  as  many  years  to  public  service  as 
he  could  afford,  and  that  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  should  be  devoted  to 
business  and  providing  something  for  his  family.  Soon  thereafter  he  was 
elected  President  of  the  Union  Dime  Savings  Institution,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  Trustee  since  its  organization  in  1859.  He  remained  President  of  the 
institution  until  called  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Hamilton  Trust  Company,  of 
Brooklyn,  which  position  he  now  holds.  He  was  President  of  the  Republican 
County  Committee  of  Kings  County  for  four  years,  and  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  State  Committee.  In  1876  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  For  several  years,  back  in  the  'seventies,  after  the  memorable 
defeat  of  Webster  for  Congress,  Republican  destinies  in  Brooklyn  were  ruled 
by  a  triumvirate  called  "the  three  graces,"  which  consisted  of  Benjamin  F. 


14A  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

Tracy,  James  Jourdan  and  Mr.  Dutclier.  For  the  past  nine  years  Mr. 
Dutclier  Las  given  little  attention  to  politics,  confining  himself  closely  to  his 
responsible  business  interests.  His  selection  as  a  member  of  the  Charter 
Commission  was  an  indication  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  character  and 
ability  are  held.  Upon  the  Commission,  his  wide  experience,  especially  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  many  years,  were  of  great  value.  He 
had  always  been  interested  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  constrained  to 
differ  from  Mr.  Low  and  other  of  his  confreres  concerning  the  appointment  of 
teachers  and  principals  and  some  other  details  of  the  educational  chapter.  In 
educational  matters  he  favored  Home  Eule  in  its  broadest  terms.  He  advo- 
cated the  retention  of  the  Brooklyn  Board  of  Education  as  it  is,  and  insisted 
that  the  officials  who  licensed  teachers,  examined  the  schools  and  passed  judg- 
ment upon  the  work  of  the  teachers,  should  not  be  a  part  of  the  appointing 
power.  He  held  that  if  teachers  could  only  be  appointed  upon  the  nomina- 
tion of  those  who  examined  and  passed  judgment  upon  their  work,  there  would 
be  more  or  less  favoritism.  He  insisted  that  the  system  of  inspection  in 
New  York  should  not  be  compulsory  in  Brooklyn.  He  also  gave  much  atten- 
tion to  the  Chapter  on  Taxes  and  Assessments.  He  labored  to  secure  equal 
taxation  and  with  great  earnestness  advocated  Section  906,  which  i^rovides  by 
certiorari  for  reviewing  or  correcting  any  erroneous  or  illegal  assessment,  and 
comparing  the  assessed  value  with  that  of  other  real  estate  on  the  tax  roll  of 
the  City  for  the  same  year.  Mr.  Dutcher  has  little  time  for  club  life,  but 
holds  membershi})  in  the  Brooklyn  and  Hamilton  Clubs.  On  February  10, 
1859,  he  was  married  to  Kebecca  J.  Alwaise,  a  descendant  of  John  Alwaise,  a 
French  Huguenot,  who  came  to  Philadelphia  in  1740.  Her  grandmother  was 
a  descendant  of  John  Bishop,  who  came  from  England  in  1645  and  settled  at 
Woodbridge,  N.  J.  They  have  six  children,  De  Witt  P.,  Edith  May,  Elsie 
Rebecca,  Malcolm  B.,  Jessie  Euth  and  Eva  Olive. 

There  was  one  member  of  the  Commission,  William  C.  DeWitt,  whose 
experience  was  believed  to  fit  him  especially  for  the  work  of  making  the  pre- 
liminary draft  of  the  Greater  New  York  Charter,  and  upon  him  devolved 
that  laborious  task.  The  student  of  heredity  will  note  with  interest  the  coin- 
cidence of  characteristics  manifested  by  Mr.  DeWitt  and  some  of  his  progeni- 
tors. The  first  American  ancestor  of  Mr.  DeWitt  was  a  cousin  of  John  De- 
Witt,  Grand  Pensionary  of  Holland,  who  perfected  the  league  of  Dutch 
States  represented  in  the  States-General,  after  which  our  Union  of  States  was 
partly  modeled.  Charles  DeWitt,  Mr.  DeWitt' s  great-grandfather,  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  which  drew  up  the  first  Constitution  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  DeWitt  Clinton,  who  contributed  largely  to  New  York  City's 
earliest  Charter,  and  who  was  Mayor  of  the  City  in  1803-1807,  1808-1810  and 
1811-1815,  was  of  the  same  family.  And  Mr.  DeWitt's  mother  was  sister  of 
Attorney -General  and  United  States  Senator  Jacob  W.  Miller,  of  New  Jersey. 
Mr.  DeWitt  was  born  in  Paterson,  N.  J.,  January  25,  1840.    In  1845  he  was 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission, 


145 


takeu  to  Brooklyn,  where  fie  has  lived  nearly  all  his  life,  except  three  years  of 
his  boyhood  spent  in  Saugerties,  N.  Y.  At  sixteen  he  graduated  from  Clav- 
erack  Institute,  entered  a  law  office  in  New  York,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
in  1861.  In  a  few  years  his  talents  came  to  be  recognized  in  his  profession, 
and  he  was  elected  Corporation  Counsel  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  January  3, 
1869.  For  six  terms,  aggregating  over  thirteen  years,  he  held  that  office  con- 
tinuously, four  times  being  unanimously  re-elected  by  the  representatives  of 
both  parties.  He  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  municipal  reform,  and  he  insti- 
tuted and  conducted  legal  proceedings  against  many  corrupt  officials.  He 
drafted  the  Charter  of  the  former  City  of  Brooklyn,  and  was  the  author  of  the 
constitutional  provision  limiting  City  debt  and  taxation.  In  politics  Mr.  De- 
Witt  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  was  President  of  the  Democratic  State 
Convention  of  1870,  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  at  Baltimore  in 
1871,  and  a  member  of  nearly  all  the  State  Conventions  from  1869  to  1877. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  National  Convention  of  1892,  in  which  body  he 
was  the  spokesman  of  the  New  York  delegation.  Upon  his  appointment  to 
the  Greater  New  York  Charter  Commission  he  entered  most  zealously  upon  its 
work.  At  the  first  meeting  he  introduced  a  resolution  favoring  a  Charter 
creating  what  was  at  that  time  called  "DeWitt's  Borough  System,"  dividing 
the  City  into  Boroughs,  and  intrusting  to  each  Borough  all  matters  of  local 
concern.  He  also  championed  the  bi-cameral  municipal  legislature,  and 
favored  a  "czar  Mayor, "  unrestrained  power  of  removal,  and  "free  right  to 
go  again  to  the  people. ' '  His  services  in  the  i^reparation  of  the  first  draft  of 
the  Charter  will  appear  more  fully  hereafter. 

George  Miller  Pinney,  Jr.,  Secretary  of  the  Commission,  born  in  Windsor, 
Wis.,  March  8,  1856,  is  the  son  of  George  Miller  Pinney,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Harriet  M.  Whitney,  of  Ohio.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Humphrey  Pinney,  who  came  to  New  England  from  Somersetshire,  England, 
about  the  year  1630.  Mr.  Pinney  attended  Eacine  College  in  Kaciue,  Wis., 
General  Russell's  Collegiate  and  Commercial  Institute  in  New  Haven,  Conn., 
a  common  school  in  Helena,  Mont.,  an  academy  in  Iowa,  the  University  of 
California,  and  Harvard  University,  from  which  latter  he  was  graduated  with 
honors  in  1878,  being  one  of  the  commencement  orators.  After  graduation 
he  spent  two  years  teaching,  and  then  entered  Harvard  Law  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1882.  He  came  to  New  York  City  in 
1882,  entered  the  office  of  Evarts,  Southmayd  &  Choate,  and  remained  with 
that  firm  and  with  its  successor — Evarts,  Choate  &  Beeman — -until  1886.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  New  York  City  in  November,  1883.  In  1886,  with 
Willis  B.  Sterling,  of  Cleveland,  O.,  he  formed  the  firm  of  Pinney  &  Sterling, 
which  was  dissolved  in  1890,  and  Mr.  Pinney  practiced  alone  until  1891, 
when  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Carter,  Pinney  &  Kellogg.  In  1893 
he  severed  this  connection,  and  once  more  practiced  alone,  until  September 
1,  1894,  when  he  formed  the  firm  of  Pinney  &  Thayer,  composed  of  himself 


140' 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  Wortd. 


and  Aaron  C.  Thayer,  also  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  and  the  Harvard 
Law  Scliool.  On  January  1,  1896,  Albert  E.  Hadlock  entered  the  firm,  which 
became  Pinney,  Thayer  k  Hadlock.  During  the  comparatively  short  period 
of  his  practice  in  New  York  City,  Mr.  Pinney  has  been  retained  in  a  large 
number  of  important  cases.  These  include  the  Holland  House  litigation  in 
1892,  the  Broadway  Central  Hotel  litigation,  the  complications  arising  upon 
the  eviction  of  General  Earle  from  the  Hotel  New  Netherland,  and  important 
interests  in  the  contest  over  the  will  of  Mrs.  A.  T.  Stewart.  In  the  case  of 
Williams  vs.  Montgomery  (149  N.  Y. ),  involving  novel  questions  as  to  the 
right  to  enforce  specific  jjerformance  of  an  agreement  for  the  deposit  of  cer- 
tificates of  stock,  after  four  successive  defeats  in  the  lower  courts,  he  trium- 
phantly carried  his  point  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  securing  a  unanimous 
reversal.  The  corporations  which  he  has  represented  include  the  Gorham 
Manufacturing  Co.,  W.  &  J.  Sloane,  the  Kocky  Fork  &  Cooke  City  Eailroad 
Co.,  of  Montana,  the  Phoenix  Furniture  Co.,  of  Grand  Ptapids,  Mich.,  and 
the  Kawhide  Gold  Mining  Co.,  of  Boston.  In  addition  to  his  professional 
labors,  since  taking  up  his  residence  at  New  Brighton,  Staten  Island,  in 
February,  1888,  Mr.  Pinney  has  given  considerable  attention  to  politics  in 
Eichmond  County.  In  the  fall  campaign  of  1893,  he  became  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  well-known  movement  to  overthrow  the  regular  Democratic 
party.  Himself  an  ardent  Republican,  he  stumped  the  county  in  1893,  and 
again  in  1894,  in  support  of  successful  fusion  tickets  nominated  by  Eepubli- 
cans  and  Independent  Democrats.  In  appreciation  of  these  efforts,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1895,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Eepublican  party  for  Supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Castleton,  in  Eichmond  County,  and  elected  in  an  exciting  triangular 
contest,  being  the  only  successful  candidate  on  the  Eepublican  ticket.  In 
September,  1895,  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation  hy  the  Eepublican  partj^ 
for  the  position  of  District  Attorney,  the  nomination  being  indorsed  by  the 
Independent  Democratic  organization,  and  the  Good  Government  Club,  and 
was  again  the  only  successful  Eepublican  candidate.  It  is  generally  conceded 
that  in  administering  the  duties  of  the  office  of  District  Attorney,  Mr.  Pinney 
fully  justified  the  high  professional  and  personal  estimate  entertained  for  him 
by  leading  lawyers  and  citizens  of  New  Y^'ork.  On  June  9,  1896,  Governor 
Morton  appointed  Mr.  Pinney  a  member  of  the  Greater  New  York  Commis- 
sion from  Eichmond  County,  and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Commission, 
held  on  June  25,  1896,  Mr.  Pinney  was  unanimously  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Commission.  Of  his  services  in  this  position,  the  "New  York  Sun,"  of  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1897,  said:  "By  far  the  hardest- worked  member  of  the  Commis- 
sion, however,  has  been  the  Secretary,  George  M.  Pinney,  Jr.  Mr.  Pinney 
is  the  District  Attorney  of  Eichmond  County,  and  has  a  private  law  office  in 
this  city.  His  private  business  was  practically  put  aside,  and  his  office 
became  the  office  of  the  Greater  New  York  Commission.  There  were  drafted 
many  of  the  provisions  of  the  new  Charter.    To  the  Secretary  came  all  the 


Personnel  of  the  Charter  Commission.  147 

suggestions,  cranky  or  otherwise,  verbal  and  written.  His  office  force  was 
turned  into  a  corps  of  assistants  to  aid  him  in  handling  the  great  mass  of  cor- 
respondence. Since  its  first  printing,  the  better  part  of  the  charter  has  been 
printed  and  reprinted  with  amendments  and  corrections  from  four  to  ten 
times.  It  has  been  paged,  repaged  and  sectioned  and  resectioned  almost  as 
many  times.  All  this  kept  Mr.  Pinney  and  his  office  force  at  work  until  mid- 
night every  night  for  two  weeks,  and  on  many  prior  occasions.  Be- 
sides acting  as  Secretary,  which  necessitated  his  attendance  at  all  meetings, 
and  the  keeping  of  the  minutes,  Mr.  Pinney  has  been  appointed  on  nearly 
every  sub-committee  appointed  for  special  work,  and  has  done  his  share  of 
that  work. "  General  Tracy,  President  of  the  Commission,  in  a  letter  dated 
March  27,  1897,  said:  "I  am  sure  that  I  express  the  opinion  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Commission  when  I  say  that  had  we  searched  the  City  of  New  York 
for  a  Secretary,  we  could  not  have  found  any  one  who,  under  all  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case,  would  have  proven  so  efficient  and  who  could  have  ren- 
dered to  the  Commission  such  valuable  services  as  Mr.  Pinney  was  able  to 
render. ' '  Mr.  Pinney  was  married  June  27,  1887,  to  Olive  Frances,  daughter 
of  the  late  E.  N.  Child,  of  Worcester,  Mass.  They  have  four  children — 
three  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Garret  James  Garretson,  member  of  the  Charter  Commission  from  Queens, 
comes  from  an  old  Dutch  family  whose  history  in  this  countrj^  is  almost  con- 
temporaneous with  that  of  Manhattan  Island.  Martin  Garritsen  was  one  of 
Director-General  Wouter  Van  Twiller's  Councilors  in  1633,  and  in  1643, 
Philip  Garritsen  established  the  first  public  house  on  Manhattan  Island. 
The  family  name  also  appears  in  the  published  list  of  members  of  the  Dutch 
Keformed  Church  in  1657.  Judge  Garretson's  lineal  immigrant  ancestor  was 
Gerrit  Gerritsen,  who  came  from  Wageningen,  near  the  Rhine  in  Gelderland, 
Holland,  in  1660,  and  settled  at  Bergen  Point,  N.  J.  Garret  I.  Garretson, 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  on  his  father  John's  farm  in 
Hillsborough,  N.  J.,  and  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Dutch  Eeformed  Church  at 
Newtown,  L.  I.  Judge  Garretson's  mother  was  Catharine  Eapalie,  lineal 
descendant  of  Joris  Jansen  de  Eapalie,  of  Eochelle,  France,  who  fled  to  Hol- 
land during  the  persecutions  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Judge  Garretson  him- 
self was  born  at  Newtown,  L.  I.,  July  16,  1847,  and  after  receiving  an 
academic  education  in  the  Flushing  Institute,  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Marvin  &  Daniel.  In  December,  1869,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  since 
then  has  achieved  a  full  measure  of  success  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  New  York  City  and  Queens  County.  In  1877  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Henry  W.  Eastman,  under  the  title  of  Eastman  &  Garretson,  which 
continued  until  Mr.  Eastman  died  in  1882.  Then  two  of  the  latter's  sons 
were  admitted,  the  firm  name  becoming  Garretson  &  Eastman.  Their  practice 
is  principally  in  probate  and  real  estate  law,  and  in  the  management  of  estates 
and  mortgage  investments.    Next  to  his  profession,  Judge  Garretson  has  been 


U8 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


interested  deeply  in  educational  affairs.  He  was  President  of  the  Board  of 
Education  in  Newtown  for  many  years,  and  in  1873-75  he  was  School  Com- 
missioner. In  1880  he  was  appointed  Surrogate  of  Queens  County  ;  in  1885 
was  elected  County  Judge  for  six  years,  and  iu  1891  re-elected  for  another 
six  years.  In  June,  1896,  he  was  appointed  on  the  Greater  New  York 
Charter  Commission,  and  served  until  November,  1896,  when  he  was  ele- 
vated by  popular  suffrage  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench.  In  1876  he  married 
Eliza,  daughter  of  his  partner,  H.  W.  Eastman,  and  since  deceased,  and  has 
four  children.  His  present  wife  is  Sara,  daughter  of  the  late  Garret  Wilson, 
of  Millstone,  N.  J.,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1897. 

Harrison  S.  Moore,  who  was  appointed  to  represent  Queens  County  on 
the  Greater  New  York  Charter  Commission  to  succeed  Garret  J.  Garretson 
upon  the  latter's  elevation  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench  in  1896,  was  born  in 
Waterford,  N.  Y.,  April  23,  1849.  Mr.  Moore  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town.  Half  Moon  Institute  in  Saratoga  County,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  New  York  State  Normal  School  at  Albany  in  June,  1874. 
After  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Benjamin  W.  Downing,  of  Flushing, 
Queens  County,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Poughkeepsie  in  May,  1878. 
On  December  28,  1896,  Governor  Morton  appointed  him  County  Judge  of 
Queens  County,  for  which  office  he  was  elected  for  the  full  term  at  the  gen- 
eral election  in  November,  1897.  As  a  member  of  the  Charter  Commission 
he  rendered  material  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  that  important  and  now 
historic  document. 

On  the  evening  of  June  19,  1896,  the  members  of  the  Commission  dined  at 
the  residence  of  Governor  Morton  at  Ellerslie,  Ehinebeck-on-the-Hudson. 
They  were  the  guests  of  the  Governor  for  the  night,  and  did  not  leave  until 
the  following  day.  This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  Commissioners 
assembled,  and  certainly  they  could  not  have  met  under  more  favorable  cir- 
cumstances. At  the  conclusion  of  the  dinner,  an  informal  meeting  was  held 
in  the  Governor's  library.  This  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Mayor 
Strong,  who  was  made  temporary  Chairman,  with  George  M.  Pinney,  Jr.,  as 
Secretary.  The  importance  of  the  immediate  organization  of  the  Commis- 
sion was  fully  recognized,  and  it  was  unanimously  decided  that  a  meeting  of 
the  Commission  for  such  purpose  be  held  at  the  Mayor's  office  in  the  City  of 
New  York  on  June  25th,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Pursuant  to  this 
decision,  the  first  formal  meeting  of  the  Commission  was  held  in  the  Mayor's 
office  at  the  time  named,  June  25th.  This  meeting  was  called  to  order  by 
Mayor  Strong,  and  Mr.  Pinney  was  made  temporary  Secretary.  At  this 
meeting  all  the  Commissioners  were  present,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Green 
and  General  Woodford.  General  Tracy  was  unanimously  elected  President 
of  the  Commission,  and  Mr.  Pinney  was  made  permanent  Secretary.  The 
President  was  authorized  at  this  meeting  to  appoint  a  committee  of  five,  with 


Preliminary  Draft  of  the  Charter. 


149 


the  President  and  Secretary  as  members  ex  officio,  to  draft  a  form  of  Charter, 
and  thereafter  report  the  same  to  the  Commission. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Commission,  held  on  June  27,  1896,  the  Presi- 
dent announced  the  Committee  on  Draft  as  follows :  Messrs.  DeWitt,  Dillon, 
Green,  Low,  Gilroy  and  President  Tracy  and  Secretary  Pinney  as  members 
ex  officio. 

On  the  same  day,  June  27,  the  first  meeting  of  the  Committee  on  Draft  was 
held.  Mr.  DeWitt,  by  priority  of  appointment,  became  Chairman,  and  on 
motion,  Mr.  Pinney  was  elected  Secretary.  At  this  meeting,  as  the  members 
were  about  to  disperse  for  the  hot  season,  Mr.  DeWitt  was  appointed  to  pre- 
pare a  form  of  Charter,  and  submit  the  same  at  a  meeting  of  the  Commission 
to  be  held  in  September;  and  the  Committee  on  Draft  adjourned  for  the  sum- 
mer on  July  1st.  Mr.  DeWitt  transported  the  requisite  books  and  documents 
to  Long  Beach,  L.  I.,  and  on  July  14,  1896,  with  the  aid  of  David  J.  Dean, 
who  had  been  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  of  New  York  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  with  a  clerical  force,  he  set  about  the  task.  Mr. 
Dean's  health  broke  down  in  about  six  weeks,  and  soon  thereafter  he  died, 
leaving  the  bulk  of  the  work  upon  Mr.  DeWitt.  The  work  progressed  sys- 
tematically and  rapidly.  As  each  chapter  was  drawn  up,  it  was  printed  and 
not  only  sent  to  the  other  members  of  the  Commission  for  study,  but  was 
given  to  the  public  through  the  press,  so  as  to  elicit  expressions  of  popular 
opinion  before  final  action.  The  progress  of  the  draft  is  indicated  by  the 
dates  on  which  the  various  chapters  were  given  out.  On  July  18,  two  chapters 
had  been  completed;  on  August  1,  the  Finance  Chapter  was  issued;  on 
August  5,  the  Law  Chapter;  August  16,  the  chapters  on  Street  Cleaning  and 
Parks;  August  18,  the  chapter  on  Public  Works;  on  August  27,  the  chapters 
on  Buildings,  Charities  and  Correction,  and  Fire ;  on  August  28,  the  chapter 
on  the  Port  of  New  York ;  on  August  29,  the  chapters  on  Schools  and  Taxes ; 
on  September  1,  the  chapter  on  Health ;  and  by  September  4,  the  draft  of  the 
Charter  had  been  completed,  with  the  exception  of  a  general  statute  chapter. 
By  September  21  the  draft  was  finished  and  laid  before  the  first  meeting  of 
the  Charter  Commission  in  the  City  Hall  on  that  date.  After  this  tentative 
draft  was  submitted  to  the  Commission,  the  following  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted : 

"Kesolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Commission  be  tendered  to  the  Hon. 
William  C.  DeWitt,  and  his  colleague,  Mr.  David  J.  Dean,  of  the  New  York 
Corporation  Counsel's  office,  for  the  preparation,  during  the  summer,  of  the 
tentative  draft  of  a  Charter  for  the  Greater  New  York ;  and 

"Eesolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commission,  this  draft,  however 
much  it  may  be  changed  after  discussion,  being  as  it  is,  for  the  most  part,  a 
compendium  of  existing  law,  will  be  of  invaluable  service  in  enabling  the  Com- 
mission to  discharge  successfully  the  duty  devolved  upon  it  within  the  time 
prescribed  by  the  law  creating  the  Commission. ' ' 


150 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Thereafter,  the  tentative  draft  was  taken  up  by  the  Committee  on  Draft, 
which,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  met  almost  daily  until  the  24th  of  December, 
at  which  time  it  had  prepared  a  report  with  a  form  of  charter  to  be  submitted 
to  the  Commission. 

On  the  evening  of  December  24,  1896,  the  members  of  the  Commission 
were  again  entertained  at  dinner  by  Governor  Morton  at  his  residence  in  New 
York  City,  and  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Draft  appeared  in  the  public 
papers  on  Christmas  morning.  In  addition  to  the  members  of  the  Commis- 
sion, there  were  present  at  Governor  Morton's  dinner  on  the  evening  of 
December  24,  the  following  gentlemen  prominent  in  the  politics  of  the  State: 
Thomas  Collier  Piatt,  Governor-elect  Frank  S.  Black,  Lieutenant-Governor- 
elect  Timothy  L.  Woodruff,  Senator  Ellsworth,  Senator  Lexow,  Edward 
Lauterbach,  James  M.  E.  O'Gradj^  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  which  finally 
passed  the  Charter,  and  the  late  Charles  W.  Hackett,  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  State  Committee. 

The  presence  at  this  gathering  of  Mr.  Piatt,  United  States  Senator  from 
and  Eepublican  leader  in  the  State  of  New  York,  was  of  especial  interest,  for 
although  his  name  does  not  appear  in  any  official  capacity  in  connection  with 
the  Consolidation  movement,  yet  it  is  freely  conceded  that  his  hearty  support 
and  powerful  influence  were  of  paramount  importance  to  its  success.  Mr. 
Piatt  was  born  in  Owego,  N.  Y.,  July  15,  1833.  He  attended  the  local  acad- 
emy and  entered  the  Class  of  '53  at  Yale,  but  was  compelled  to  leave  col- 
lege on  account  of  his  health,  and  soon  afterward  entered  mercantile  life.  He 
was  President  of  the  Tioga  National  Bank  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  and 
subsequently  President  of  the  Southern  Central  Eailroad.  He  also  conducted 
an  extensive  lumber  business  in  Michigan  among  his  earliest  ventures.  In 
1879  he  was  chosen  Secretary  and  Director  of  the  United  States  Express 
Company,  and  in  1880  was  elected  its  President,  a  position  which  he  has  held 
to  the  present  time.  While  occupying  an  important  position  in  the  business 
world,  Mr.  Piatt  has  principally  been  distinguished  hy  his  political  career, 
which  has  kept  him  in  public  view  almost  continuously  for  a  period  of  nearly 
forty  years.  During  the  years  1859,  1860  and  1861  he  was  Clerk  of  Tioga 
County ;  in  1872  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Forty-third  Congress,  and 
in  1874  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-fourth.  In  consequence  of  his  service 
on  the  House  Committees  on  Postoffices  and  Pacific  Railroads,  he  was  prom- 
inently mentioned  for  the  postal  portfolio  in  President  Hayes'  cabinet.  In 
the  removal  of  Chester  A.  Arthur  from  the  office  of  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York,  and  Alonzo  B.  Cornell  from  the  Surveyorship,  President  Hayes 
precipitated  an  issue  with  Senator  Conkling  which  appeared  with  great  bitter- 
ness in  the  Eepublican  State  Convention  of  1877,  over  which  Mr.  Piatt  was 
chosen  to  preside,  and  in  which  Mr.  Piatt  sided  with  Senator  Conkling  in 
championing  his  old  friends,  Mr.  Cornell  and  Mr.  Arthur.  In  1880  Mr. 
Piatt  was  appointed  Quarantine  Commissioner  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  a 


TIMOTHY   Ij.  woodruff. 


GEORGE   C.  AUSTIN. 


Final  Draft  of  the  Charter. 


153 


position  which  he  held  for  eight  years.  In  January,  1881,  he  was  elected  to 
the  United  States  Senate,  Mr.  Cornell,  meanwhile,  having  become  Governor 
of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Arthur  Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  On  May 
16,  1881,  however.  Senators  Piatt  and  Conkling  resigned  their  seats  in  the 
Senate  on  account  of  President  Garfield's  course  in  nominating  William  H. 
Robertson  to  be  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  and  withdrawing  other 
nominations  which  they  had  favored.  The  sensation  produced  throughout 
the  country  at  the  time  was  very  great,  and  Mr.  Piatt's  political  power  was 
regarded  by  his  opponents  as  irretrievably  lost.  Such  proved  not  to  be  the  case, 
however,  and  he  reappeared  with  increasing  prominence  in  State  politics, 
and  in  the  National  Republican  Conventions  of  1884,  1888,  1892  and  1896, 
to  which  he  was  a  delegate.  By  this  time  his  old  prestige  had  been  more 
than  regained,  and  he  was  again  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  by  a 
vote  of  142  to  7  for  Joseph  H.  Choate,  taking  his  seat  March  4,  1897.  Sen- 
ator Piatt  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  plan  of  municipal  Consolidation, 
and  exercised  the  whole  of  his  powder  in  its  favor ;  and  withoiit  the  aid  of  his 
extraordinary  influence  the  consummation  of  this  great  and  now  historic 
undertaking  would  have  been  postponed  many  years. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  dinner  at  Governor  Morton's,  December  24,  1896, 
the  general  plan  and  scope  of  the  Charter  were  explained  by  President  Tracy, 
Mr.  Low,  Mr.  DeWitt  and  Secretary  Pinuey.  Remarks  were  made  by  others 
in  regard  to  the  general  scheme  of  Consolidation,  and  at  the  conclusion  of 
this  dinner,  every  member  of  the  Commission  felt  confident  of  the  ultimate 
passage  of  the  Charter. 

On  January  2,  1897,  the  full  Commission  met  to  receive  formally  the 
Charter  and  report  previously  prepared  by  the  Committee  on  Draft.  For  two 
weeks,  beginning  January  4,  1897,  public  hearings  were  held,  and  a  fair 
opportunity  given  to  every  person  who  appeared  to  discuss  the  various  chap- 
ters of  the  Charter,  and  to  make  suggestions  with  reference  thereto.  Sugges- 
tions and  criticisms  were  especially  invited  from  every  head  of  department 
and  administrative  ofiicer  within  each  of  the  municipalities  included  within 
the  Greater  New  York.  The  Committee  on  Draft  met  daily,  and  many 
changes  and  corrections  were  made  as  a  result  of  the  public  hearings  and  the 
suggestions  which  came  from  the  heads  of  departments.  The  general  scheme 
of  the  Charter,  however,  was  not  changed  as  a  result  of  the  public  hearings. 
On  January  29  a  Committee  on  Revision  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Messrs. 
DeWitt,  Gilroy  and  Pinney.  This  Committee  concluded  its  report  by 
February  12,  1897,  and  during  the  same  period,  a  Committee,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Dillon,  Low  and  Woodford,  had  prepared  a  form  of  report  to  the 
Legislature  to  accompany  the  Charter.  Subsequent  to  February  12,  changes 
and  corrections  were  made  in  the  Charter,  as  presented  by  the  Committee  on 
Revision,  but  by  February  18,  the  Charter,  as  finally  submitted  to  the  Legis- 
lature, was  ready  for  transmission.    On  February  17  and  18,  the  members 


154 


Neio  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


of  the  Commission  had  under  consideration  the  form  of  report  to  be  trans- 
mitted to  the  Legislature,  which  was  finally  agreed  upon  and  signed  by  every 
member  of  the  Commission,  with  the  exception  of  Andrew  H.  Green,  whose 
continued  illness  had  prevented  him  from  taking  any  part  whatever  in  the 
work  of  the  Commission.  After  the  report  had  been  agreed  upon,  President 
Tracy,  Mr.  Gilroy  and  Secretary  Pinney  were  appointed  a  Committee  to 
present  the  report  and  Charter  to  the  Legislature.  This  was  done  on  February 
19,  the  original  time  having  been  extended  by  joint  resolution  at  the  request 
of  the  Commission  from  February  1  to  February  20.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  the  Charter  passed  through  five  successive  stages — first,  the  tentative 
draft  or  compilation,  commonly  known  as  the  Long  Beach  draft;  second,  the 
Charter  as  prepared  by  Committee  on  Draft,  and  formally  presented  to  the 
Commission  on  January  2,  1897 ;  third,  the  Charter  as  prepared  and  pre- 
sented by  the  Committee  on  Eevision ;  fourth,  the  Charter  as  presented  by  the 
Commission  to  the  Legislature ;  and  fifth,  the  Charter  as  actually  passed  by 
the  Legislature.  The  work  of  preparing  the  Charter  in  the  form  in  which  it 
was  finally  adopted  fell,  of  course,  upon  the  members  of  the  Committee  on 
Draft.  The  greatest  assistance  which  was  rendered  in  their  work  came  from 
the  office  of  the  Corporation  Counsel  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

The  minutes  of  the  Commission  have  not  been  made  public,  but  from  the 
public  utterances  of  the  Commissioners  it  is  apparent  that  all  of  them  yielded 
something  of  their  personal  convictions  in  order  to  reach  a  common  ground  of 
agreement.  There  was  a  division  at  the  outset  on  the  question  of  a  bi- 
cameral form  of  government.  Some  advised  a  municipal  assembly  substan- 
tially upon  the  model  of  the  English  system,  where  an  elective  municipal 
council,  usually  elected  from  wards  or  sub-divisions,  is  invested  with  the 
exercise,  without  restraint,  of  all  the  powers  which  parliament  grants  or  the 
law  gives  to  the  municipal  corporation,  electing  the  Mayor  from  its  own  mem- 
bers, appointing  all  its  officers,  and  through  standing  committees  controlling 
without  exception  all  the  administrative  departments.  Others  strenuously 
urged  that  the  American  policy  and  experience  were  against  the  adoption  of 
the  English  plan  as  a  whole,  and  that  the  powers  of  the  Municipal  Assembly 
ought  to  be  limited  in  number  and  extent,  and  the  exercise  of  the  powers  con- 
ferred be  subjected  to  appropriate  and  effective  Charter  limitations,  analogous 
in  principle  and  purpose  to  the  restrictions  which  the  American  constitutions 
impose  upon  the  State  Legislatures.  Eventually  the  Commission  adopted 
the  two-house  system.  The  term  of  the  Mayor  and  the  extent  of  his  powers 
were  other  subjects  of  difference.  In  organizing  the  Police  Department,  the 
Commission  encountered  a  subject  upon  which  it  was  found  that  unanimity 
was  impossible,  owing  to  the  two  different  systems  of  police  organization  in 
existence  in  the  two  Cities  to  be  consolidated.  The  result  of  this  diversity  of 
views  was  the  adoption  of  a  Police  Department  organized  upon  principles 
quite  different  from  anything  that  has  heretofore  prevailed  either  in  New  York 


The  Charter  Before  the  Legislature. 


155 


or  Brooklyn.  Andrew  H.  Green,  who  belie-ved  in  the  gradual  abolition  of 
old  offices  and  a  progressive  union,  dissented  from  many  provisions  of  the 
instrument.  And  similar  divergencies  of  views  might  be  cited  in  regard  to 
every  member  of  the  Commission.  When  it  became  necessary  to  draw  up  the 
report  to  accompany  the  Charter,  there  was  still  a  diversity  of  views,  and  the 
report  was  modified  so  as  to  secure  the  indorsement  of  all  the  members. 

The  report,  which  was  dated  February  18,  1897,  contained  these  para- 
graphs: "In  dealing  with  interests  so  comprehensive  and  so  important  as 
those  that  are  affected  by  the  proposition  to  consolidate  into  a  single  City  the 
three  Cities  and  the  other  territory  that  are  to  become  a  part  of  Greater  New 
York,  it  is  not  surprising  that  opinion  in  the  Commission,  as  well  as  outside 
of  it,  should  have  been  sharply  divided  upon  some  points.  Notwithstanding 
these  divisions  of  opinion,  the  Commission  are  as  one  in  recommending  to  the 
Legislature  the  adoption  of  the  Charter  as  submitted.  .  .  .  The  Commis- 
sioners unite  in  recommending  the  Greater  New  York  Charter  to  the  favorable 
consideration  of  the  Legislature."  The  report  was  signed  by:  Benjamin  F. 
Tracy,  President;  William  L.  Strong,  Mayor  of  New  York;  Frederick  W. 
Wurster,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn;  Patrick  J.  Gleason,  Mayor  of  Long  Island 
City;  John  F.  Dillon,  William  C.  DeWitt,  Thomas  F.  Gilroy,  Silas  B. 
Dutcher,  Seth  Low,  Harrison  S.  Moore,  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  Campbell  W. 
Adams,  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor,  Theodore  E.  Hancock,  Attorney-Gen- 
eral, and  George  M.  Pinney,  Jr.,  Secretary.  Ill  health  had  prevented  Mr. 
Green's  active  participation  in  the  construction  of  the  Charter,  and  he  there- 
fore refrained  from  signing  the  report. 

On  February  28,  the  Commission  adjourned  sine  die. 

Immediately  on  the  rendering  of  the  report,  a  legislative  contest  over  the 
passage  of  the  Charter  began.  On  February  26  Messrs.  Tracy,  Low  and 
Gilroy  appeared  before  the  joint  committee  of  the  Legislature  to  explain  the 
Charter.  On  March  3  the  Committee  heard  objections  to  the  Charter.  On 
March  7  General  Tracy  advocated  a  four-headed  Police  Commission,  declar- 
ing that  one  man  could  not  properly  administer  a  force  of  7,000  men.  On 
March  10  further  objections  were  heard.  On  March  11  the  joint  Cities 
Committee  and  the  Charter  Commission  conferred  in  regard  to  amendments, 
which  delayed  the  Committee  report  for  a  few  days.  On  March  17  the  Charter 
was  reported  to  both  houses  of  the  Legislature  with  minor  amendments.  On 
the  23d  it  was  passed  by  the  Assembly,  117  to  28,  and  on  the  25th  by  the 
Senate.  According  to  legal  requirements,  the  Charter  now  had  to  be  referred 
back  to  the  Mayors  of  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  for  approval  or 
veto.  On  April  1  Mayor  Strong,  of  New  York,  held  his  first  hearing.  On 
April  2  the  Legislature  killed  the  proposed  amendment  to  the  Charter  pro- 
viding for  the  increase  of  the  pay  of  Brooklyn  firemen.  On  the  same  day, 
Mayor  Strong  held  his  second  hearing.  On  April  5  Mayor  Wurster  held  his 
first  hearing.    On  April  8  Mayor  Wurster  returned  the  Charter  to  the  Legis- 


156 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


lature  with  bis  approval.  On  April  9  Mayor  Strong  vetoed  the  Charter,  sug- 
gesting various  amendments.  On  April  12  the  Assembly  passed  the  Charter 
over  the  Mayor's  veto,  and  on  the  13th  the  Senate  did  the  same,  the  vote  in 
the  latter  standing  3-4  to  10.  On  May  4,  1897,  the  271st  anniversary  of  the 
landing  of  Peter  Minuit,  the  first  Director-General  of  New  Amsterdam,  the 
Charter  became  a  law  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor,  Frank  S.  Black,  and 
the  great  struggle  of  years  was  ended. 

Frank  S.  Black,  lawyer,  and  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  whose 
signature  to  the  Charter  Act  was  the  last  of  the  long  series  of  historic  trans- 
actions, is  a  native  of  Livingston,  Me.,  where  he  M-as  born,  March  8,  1853. 
He  was  a  poor  boy,  but  determined  to  obtain  an  education,  and  with  inter- 
ruptions only  long  enough  to  enable  him  to  earn  the  necessary  money,  by 
teaching  or  otherwise,  he  pushed  himself  through  an  academic  course,  and 
entered  Dartmouth  College,  from  which  latter  he  was  graduated  with  class 
honors  in  1875.  He  was  immediately  tendered  three  different  school  prin- 
cipalships  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  but  he  had  set  his  heart  on 
obtaining  a  legal  education,  and  after  awhile  spent  in  selling  pictures  and 
editing  the  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  "Journal,"  he  moved  to  Troy,  and  divided  his 
time  between  reading  law  and  serving  as  a  clerk  and  newspaper  reporter.  In 
1879  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  associated  himself  with  Albert  Smith 
and  George  B.  Wellington,  under  the  firm  name  of  Smith,  Wellington  & 
Black.  A  year  later  he  branched  out  alone,  and  has  since  remained  unasso- 
ciated.  He  soon  occupied  a  commanding  position  at  the  Bar  of  Kensselaer 
County  in  civil  practice.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Kepublican,  from 
the  time  he  left  college  and  supported  Blaine  on  the  "Johnstown  Journal. "  In 
1888  and  1892  he  spoke  in  public  for  the  Kepublican  tickets,  and  gradually 
became  one  of  the  leading  political  orators  of  the  county.  His  reputation 
was  increased  by  his  fight  against  the  tremendous  election  frauds  in  Eens- 
selaer  County,  and  his  organization  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  which  resulted 
in  the  conviction  and  execution  of  "Bat"  Shea  for  the  murder  of  KobertKoss, 
a  Kepublican  watcher.  In  1894  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  was  unani- 
mously renominated  in  1896,  but  later  in  the  summer,  he  was  nominated  for 
Governor,  to  which  position  he  was  elected  in  November  by  a  vote  of  787,516 
to  574,524  for  Wilbur  F.  Porter,  Democrat.  In  1879  Mr.  Black  married 
Lois  B.  Hamlin,  of  Provincetown,  Mass.,  and  has  one  boy,  Arthur,  aged 
fifteen,  when  his  father  was  elected  Governor.  In  his  inaugural  address, 
January  6,  1897,  Governor  Black  showed  his  comprehension  of  the  magnitude 
and  significance  of  the  Consolidation  movement  when  he  said:  "No  legisla- 
tion passed  this  session  will  involve  greater  responsibilities  or  be  more  far- 
reaching  to  the  communities  to  be  embraced  in  the  City  of  New  York.  This 
subject  does  not  concern  us  alone,  for  the  extent  of  its  influence  it  is  not  safe 
to  predict.  Conditions  have  arisen  more  than  once  in  which  our  entire 
national  policy  has  depended  upon  this  State.    When  questions  of  such 


The  Charter  Becomes  a  Laiv. 


157 


moment  become  tlius  dependent,  the  position  of  the  City  of  New  York  is  com- 
manding and  may  be  decisive.  Every  move  upon  this  subject  should  result 
from  the  utmost  caution  and  study.  I  have  entire  confidence  in  the  wisdom 
of  the  Commissioners,  in  whose  hands  the  work  has  thus  far  rested,  and  what- 
ever the  Legislature  may  do  to  complete  or  supplement  that  work,  will,  I 
trust,  be  done  under  a  sense  of  the  profoundest  responsibility."  Governor 
Black  was  firmly  convinced  of  the  wisdom  of  Consolidation,  and  attached  his 
signature  to  the  Charter  Act  with  unhesitating  confidence. 

Timothy  L.  Woodruff,  who  was  Lieutenant-Governor  and  President  of  the 
Senate  at  the  time  when  the  Charter  Act  became  a  law,  gave  the  act  more  than 
an  ofiicial  and  formal  approval.  As  has  previously  been  noted,  he  partici- 
pated in  the  conference  with  the  Charter  Commission  at  Governor  Morton's 
before  the  Commission  formally  organized  for  its  work,  and  was  an  earnest 
and  hearty  advocate  of  the  Consolidation  movement.  Lieutenant-Governor 
Woodruff  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  on  August  4,  1858,  both  his 
paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  having  been  early  settlers  of  Connecticut. 
From  1855  iiutil  1865,  his  father,  John  Woodruff,  was  a  Eepresentative  in 
Congress.  The  son's  earlier  education  was  acquired  at  the  Phillips'  Academy, 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  after  which  he  entered  Tale  College,  graduating  in  1879, 
After  leaving  college  he  took  a  business  course  in  the  Eastman  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  T.  His  business  career  began  with  a  clerkship  in  the  firm 
of  Nash,  Whiton  &  Co.,  in  1880,  in  which  capacit}-  he  acted  for  one  year, 
when  he  was  admitted  to  partnership.  The  firm  was  succeeded  by  the  Wor- 
cester Salt  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Woodruff  is  now  the  Treasurer,  When  less 
than  twenty -five  years  of  age,  Mr.  Woodruff  became  interested  in  grain  ele- 
vators and  warehoiases,  and  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  was  pro- 
prietor of  the  Franklin,  the  Commercial,  the  Nye  and  the  Waverly  stores,  and 
two  large  grain  elevators.  He  was  elected  a  Director  and  Secretary  of  the 
Brooklyn  Grain  Warehouse  Co.,  on  the  organization  of  that  company  in  1888, 
and  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  formation  and  among  the  incorpo- 
rators of  the  Hamilton,  the  Manufacturers'  and  the  Kings  County  Trust  com- 
panies of  Brooklyn.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  an  ardent  Kepublican, 
and  a  tireless  worker  for  the  good  of  that  party.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to 
nearly  all  the  Kepublican  State  and  local  conventions  for  the  past  thirteen 
years,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Conventions  of  1888  and  1896. 
Under  Mayor  Wurster's  administration  he  was  the  Commissioner  of  Parks  of 
Brooklyn,  and  his  administration  of  that  office  greatly  increased  his  popular- 
ity. In  1896  the  Kepublican  State  Convention  accorded  him  the  distinction 
of  the  nomination  for  the  Lieutenant-Governorship,  and  he  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority  with  Governor  Black  in  November  of  that  year.  Mr.  Wood- 
ruff's business  and  political  responsibilities  have  not  prevented  his  active 
participation  in  social,  literary  and  church  affairs,  in  the  latter  his  affiliations 
being  with  the  Memorial  Presbyterian  Church  of  Brooklyn,    In  addition  to 


158 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


being  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  be  is  a  member  or  officer  of  the  Montauk, 
Dyker  Meadow  Golf,  Kiding  and  Driving,  University,  Crescent  Athletic, 
Logan,  New  York  Union  League,  Brooklyn  Union  Leauge,  and  Brooklyn 
Kepublican  Clubs,  the  League  of  American  Wheelmen,  Brooklyn  Bicycle 
Club  and  Good  Eoads  Association,  Royal  Arcanum  and  Sons  of  the  Kevolu- 
tion.  His  wife  is  Cora  C,  daughter  of  the  late  ex-Mayor  H.  G.  Eastman,  of 
Poughkeepsie,  with  whom  and  their  son,  he  lives  in  a  charming  home  in 
Brooklyn. 

The  Charter  of  the  City  of  New  Tork  is  technically  entitled:  "An  Act  to 
unite  into  one  municipality  under  the  corporate  name  of  The  City  of  New 
York,  the  various  communities  lying  in  and  about  New  York  Harbor,  includ- 
ing the  City  and  County  of  New  York,  the  City  of  Brooklyn  and  County  of 
Kings,  the  County  of  Richmond,  and  part  of  the  County  of  Queens,  and  to 
provide  for  the  government  thereof. "  It  is  a  document  of  600  pages,  exclu- 
sive of  Lidex,  and  we  cannot  do  more  than  to  glance  at  its  leading  provisions. 
For  technical  details  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  instrument  itself.  At  the 
outset  the  Charter  merges  into  one  corporation,  entitled  ' '  The  City  of  New 
York,"  all  municipal  and  publice  corporations  embraced  within  the  limits 
made  by  a  line  beginning  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  oflf  the  southern  end  of  Staten 
Island,  thence  running  in  a  generally  northeasterly  direction  along  the  inter- 
state boundary  between  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  to  the  southern  limit  of 
the  City  of  Yonkers,  thence  in  a  direction  generally  south  of  east  to  Long 
Island  Sound ;  thence,  passing  east  of  Hart  and  City  Islands,  in  a  generally 
southerly  direction  to  Little  Neck  Bay  on  Long  Island ;  thence  along  the 
eastern  border  of  the  town  of  Flushing  to  the  southeastern  corner  of  that 
town ;  thence  southerly  in  a  straight  line  passing  between  Rockaway  Beach 
and  Shelter  Island  to  the  ocean  again.  This  territory  is  divided  into  five 
Boroughs.  Manhattan  Borough  consists  of  Manhattan,  Randall's,  "Ward's, 
Blackwell's,  Governor's,  Bedloe's,  Ellis',  and  the  Oyster  Islands.  Bronx 
Borough  consists  of  that  portion  of  the  city  on  the  mainland  lying  north  and 
east  of  the  Harlem  River,  and  the  small  islands  in  Long  Island  Sound,  form- 
erly belonging  thereto.  The  Borough  of  Brooklyn  consists  of  the  former 
City  of  Brooklyn.  Queens  Borough  consists  of  the  remainder  of  that  portion 
of  Long  Island  included  within  the  general  boundary  previously  described. 
And  Richmond  Borough  consists  of  Staten  Island. 

The  Executive  power  of  the  City  Government  is  vested  in  a  Mayor,  elected 
by  popular  vote,  and  the  officers  of  the  administrative  departments.  The 
Mayor  is  elected  for  four  years,  and  receives  a  salary  of  $15,000  a  year. 

His  duties  are  set  forth  to  be:  1.  To  communicate  to  the  Municipal  As- 
sembly at  least  once  a  year  a  general  statement  of  the  finances,  government 
and  improvements  of  the  City ;  2,  to  recommend  to  the  Municipal  Assembly 
all  such  measures  as  he  shall  deem  expedient ;  3,  to  keep  himself  informed  of 
the  doings  of  the  several  departments ;  4,  to  be  vigilant  and  active  in  causing 


Provisions  of  the  New  Charter. 


159 


the  ordinances  of  the  City  and  laws  of  the  State  to  be  executed  and  enforced ; 
and  5,  generally  to  perform  all  such  duties  as  may  be  prescribed  for  him  by 
this  act,  the  City  ordinances  and  the  laws  of  the  State.  He  has  extensive 
powers,  including  the  appointment  of  the  following  officers : 

Aggregate  Annual  Salaries. 


1  City  Chamberlain   $12,000 

1  Corporation  Counsel      ......  15,000 

4  Police  Commissioners,  each  $5,000     ....  20,000 

1  President  of  Board  of  Public  Improvements    ,        .  8,000 

1  Commissioner  of  Water  Supply  .....  7,500 

1  Commissioner  of  Highways   ,        .        .        .        .  7,500 

1  Commissioner  of  Street  Cleaning        ....  7,500 

1  Commissioner  of  Sewers        .....  7,500 

1  Commissioner  of  Public  Buildings     ,        .        .       .  7,500 

1  Commissioner  of  Bridges       .        .       .       ,       .  7,500 

3  Commissioners  of  Parks,  each  $5,000  .  .  .  15,000 
3  Commissioners  of  Buildings  : 

Manhattan  and  Bronx   7,000 

Brooklyn      ........  7,000 

Queens  and  Eichmond   3,500 

3  Commissioners  of  Charities : 

Manhattan  and  Bronx  7,500 

Brooklyn  and  Queens         .....  7,500 

Eichmond   2,500 

1  Commissioner  of  Corrections         ....  7,500 

1  Fire  Commissioner                                                  .  7,500 

3  Commissioners  of  Docks : 

President   6,000 

2  Commissioners,  each  $5,000       ....  10,000 

President  of  Board  of  Taxes,  etc.       .        .       „       .  8,000 

4  Commissioners,  each  $7,000               ...  28,000 

3  Health  Commissioners :  President  ....  7,500 

2  Commissioners,  each  $6,000      ....  12,000 

7  Municipal  Court  Justices,  aggregating    .       .        .  37,000 

19  City  Magistrates,  aggregating          ....  114,000 

10  Justices  of  Court  of  Special  Sessions,  aggregating  60,000 

1  Commissioner  of  Jurors     ......  5,000 

2  Commissioners  of  Accounts,  each  $5,000  .  .  10,000 
1  Chief  of  Bureau  of  Statistics     .....  3,500 


Several  Sealers  of  Weights  and  Measures, 
Several  Inspectors  of  Weights  and  Measures, 
Mayor's  Clerks  and  subordinates, 
6  Art  Commissioners,  without  salaries, 
84  members  of  local  school  boards  without  salaries, 
3  Civil  Service  Commissioners,  without  salaries, 
6  Commissioners  of  Statistics,  without  salaries, 
63  Marshals,  and 

Various  other  minor  officials,  boards  and  Commissioners. 
The  salaries  of  the  officials  appointed  directly  by  the  Mayor  aggregate 


lUU  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

$500,000  a  year.  This  does  not  include  the  salaries  of  the  subordinates  to 
be  appointed  by  the  Mayor's  appointees.  It  is  estimated  that  the  total  number 
of  names  carried  on  the  city  payroll  will  be  at  least  33,000,  and  that  they  will 
draw  annually  from  the  City  Treasury  not  less  than  $33,000,000. 

During  the  first  six  months  after  his  inauguration,  the  Mayor  possesses 
absolute  power  of  removing  the  officers  appointed  by  the  former  Mayor  (except 
members  of  the  Board  of  Education,  School  Boards,  and  certain  Judicial 
officers),  but  after  that  period  he  can  remove  only  after  preferring  charges, 
affording  a  hearing,  and  securing  the  approval  of  the  Governor.  He  may  be 
suspended  or  removed  from  office  by  the  Governor.  He  is  ineligible  for  re- 
election for  at  least  four  years  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office. 

The  Legislative  Department  consists  of  two  houses,  jointly  styled  the 
Municipal  Assembly.  One  House,  the  Council,  consists  of  a  President, 
elected  by  popular  vote  on  a  general  ticket,  and  twenty-eight  Councilmen 
elected  for  four  years  from  ten  council  districts,  containing  an  average  popu- 
lation of  about  350,000.  The  President  of  the  Council  is  Vice-Mayor.  The 
other  House,  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  consists  of  sixty  Aldermen,  elected 
biennially  by  Assembly  Districts  containing  an  average  population  of  50,000. 
The  Board  of  Aldermen  elects  its  own  President.  Each  ex-Mayor  is  entitled 
to  a  seat  in  the  Council,  and  each  administrative  head  of  a  department  to  a 
seat  in  the  Lower  House.  A  majority  of  the  total  membership  of  each 
House  is  necessary  to  the  passage  of  an  ordinance ;  three-fourths  are  necessary 
for  the  expenditure  of  money,  creation  of  debt,  laying  of  assessments  or 
granting  of  franchises ,  and  four-fifths  for  the  expenditure  of  money  for  cele- 
brations, funerals,  etc.  The  Mayor  may  veto  any  Act  of  the  Assembly,  in 
which  event  the  Act  will  require  a  two-thirds  vote  to  be  passed  over  the  veto 
in  ordinary  cases,  and  a  five-sixths  vote  if  it  involves  the  expenditure  of 
money,  creation  of  debt,  laying  of  assessment  or  granting  of  franchise.  The 
legislative  powers  of  the  Assembly  are  wider  in  scope  than  those  of  the  former 
municipalities  in  this  area.  The  aim  of  the  Charter  is  to  give  to  the  City  a 
larger  measure  of  autonomy  than  it  heretofore  enjoyed,  when  much  of  its 
legislation  was  performed  by  the  State  Legislature. 

The  Charter  declares  that  the  rights  of  the  City  in  its  water  front  ferries, 
wharf  property,  land  under  water,  streets,  and  parks  are  inalienable,  but  the 
Municipal  Assembly  has  the  right  to  grant  privileges  t  j  railroad  and  ferry 
companies  under  certain  restrictions.  No  franchise  granted  for  the  first  time 
may  extend  over  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-five  years,  after  which  time, 
should  the  Assembly  decide  to  renew  the  privilege  for  another  twenty -five 
years,  a  revaluation  has  first  to  be  made,  in  order  that  the  City  may  make 
terms  which  will  be  fair  to  the  taxpayers.  If  the  Assembly  sees  fit,  it  may 
insert  a  clause  in  such  agreements,  whereby,  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  years, 
the  pror)erty  of  the  company  to  which  a  franchise  has  been  granted  shall 
revert  to  the  City,  with  or  without  compensation,  it  being  then  at  the  option 


Provisions  of  the  New  Charter. 


161 


of  the  Assembly  to  dispose  of  the  plant  thus  acquired,  or  to  operate  and  con- 
trol the  work  of  the  company  as  a  public  enterprise ;  in  fact,  if  compensation 
is  awarded,  this  experiment  must  be  made  for  a  term  of  at  least  five  years. 
In  every  case  where  the  grant  of  a  franchise  is  made,  the  City  will  specify  in 
the  agreement  that  in  the  event  of  failure  to  give  an  effective  service  to  the 
public,  the  franchise  may  at  any  time,  prior  to  the  expiration  of  the  term  of 
twenty-five  years,  be  withdrawn.  To  prevent  the  sudden  or  unexpected  grant- 
ing of  a  franchise  thirty  days  must  elapse  between  the  introduction  of  such  a 
motion  and  its  final  passage.  The  Board  of  Estimate  will  have  passed  upon 
it,  its  provisions  will  have  been  published  for  twenty  consecutive  days  in  the 
"  City  Eecord, "  and  twice  in  the  public  press,  and  at  last  the  vote  must  be  car- 
ried by  three-fourths  of  the  members  of  both  houses,  and  receive  the  approval 
of  the  Mayor.  Should  it  fail  in  this  last  particular,  a  five-sixth  majority  must 
be  secured.  Eeuewals  of  franchises  will  be  treated  in  the  same  manner  as 
though  the  application  was  made  for  the  first  time.  The  City  holds  all  its 
property  in  perpetuity,  and  cannot  give  it  away  or  sell  any  portion  of  it,  save 
only  such  buildings  or  parcels  of  land  as  are  no  longer  fit  for  public  use. 
There  are  eighteen  administrative  departments,  as  follows : 

1.  Finance,  directed  by  the  Comptroller,  who  is  elected  quadrennially  by 
popular  vote. 

2.  Law,  directed  by  the  Corporation  Counsel,  appointed  for  four  years. 

3.  Police,  administered  by  the  Police  Board,  consisting  of  four  Police 
Commissioners,  appointed  for  four  years,  not  more  than  two  of  whom  shall 
be  of  the  same  political  party. 

4.  "Water  Supply,  directed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Water  Supply, 
appointed  for  six  years. 

5.  Highways,  directed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Highways,  appointed  for 
six  years. 

6.  Street  Cleaning,  directed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Street  Cleaning, 
appointed  for  six  years. 

7.  Sewers,  directed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Sewers,  appointed  for  six 
years. 

8.  Public  Buildings,  Lighting  and  Supplies,  directed  by  a  Commissioner 
with  like  title,  appointed  for  six  years. 

9.  Bridges,  directed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Bridges,  appointed  for  six 
years. 

10.  Parks,  administered  by  the  Park  Board,  consisting  of  three  Commis- 
sioners, appointed  for  overlapping  terms  of  six  years  each. 

11.  Buildings,  administered  by  a  Board  of  three  Commissioners,  appointed 
for  similar  terms. 

12.  Charities,  similarly  administered. 

13.  Correction,  headed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Correction,  appointed  for 
six  years. 


162 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


14.  Fire,  directed  by  the  Fire  Commissioner,  appointed  for  six  years. 

15.  Docks  and  Ferries,  administered  by  a  Board  of  Docks,  consisting  of 
three  Commissioners,  appointed  for  overlapping  terms  of  six  years  each. 

16.  Taxes  and  Assessments,  administered  by  a  Board  of  Taxes  and  Assess- 
ment, consisting  of  a  President  and  four  Commissioners.  The  President  is 
appointed  for  six  years,  and  the  Commissioners  for  overlapping  terms  of  four 
years  each. 

17.  Education,  administered  >y  a  Board  of  Education,  consisting  of  nine- 
teen members,  chosen  as  follows :  The  Chairman  of  the  School  Board  of  the 
Boroughs  of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx,  and  ten  other  members  elected  by  that 
Board ;  the  Chairman  of  the  School  Board  of  Brooklyn  and  five  other  mem- 
bers, elected  by  that  Board ;  and  the  Chairmen  of  the  School  Boards  of  Queens 
and  Kichmond,  chosen  for  one  year. 

18.  Health,  administered  by  a  Board  of  Health,  consisting  of  the  President 
of  the  Police  Board,  the  Health  Officer  of  the  Port,  and  three  Health  Com- 
missioners appointed  by  the  Mayor.  Two  of  the  Health  Commissioners  must 
be  physicians,  and  the  Commissioner  who  is  not  a  physician  is  President  of 
the  Board.  Their  terms  are  for  six  years  each,  expiring  at  intervals  of  two 
years. 

Six  of  these  departments,  namely,  "Water  Supply,  Highways,  Street  Clean- 
ing, Sewers,  Public  Buildings,  etc.,  and  Bridges,  are  grouped  together  and 
represented  in  a  Board  of  Public  Improvements.  This  Board  consists  of  the 
President  of  the  Board,  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  the  Mayor,  Corporation 
Counsel,  Comptroller,  Commissioner  of  Water  Supply,  Commissioner  of 
Highways,  Commissioner  of  Street  Cleaning,  Commissioner  of  Sewers,  Com- 
missioner of  Public  Buildings,  etc..  Commissioner  of  Bridges,  and  the  Presi- 
dents of  Boroughs.  Public  works  or  improvements  must  be  authorized  by  the 
concurrent  action  of  this  Board  and  the  Municipal  Assembly. 

The  Art  Commission,  whose  approval  is  necessary  before  a  work  of  art  can 
become  the  property  of  the  City,  consists  of  the  Mayor,  the  President  of  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  President  of  the  New  York  Public  Library, 
President  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  one  painter,  one 
sculptor,  one  architect,  and  three  other  citizens. 

The  Comptroller,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  Finance  Department,  occupies  a 
position  of  great  responsibility.  The  accounts  of  all  other  departments  are 
subject  to  his  inspection.  All  payments  must  be  made  on  warrants  first 
signed  by  him.  He  must  settle  and  adjust  all  claims  for  or  against  the  City. 
Ho  exercises  a  check  on  public  expenditures  by  being  obliged  to  certify  that 
applicable  funds  exist  before  contracts  are  signed,  and  in  various  ways  is  the 
guardian  of  the  City's  funds. 

The  City  Chamberlain's  duties  are  to  receive  and  deposit  all  moneys  with 
the  City  Treasurer,  and  to  pay  all  warrants  signed  by  the  Comptroller  and 
countersigned  by  the  Mayor. 


Provisions  oj  the  New  Charter. 


16S 


The  Police  Department  is  vested  witli  all  the  powers  in  regard  to  the  con- 
duct of  elections  hitherto  granted  to  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  City  of 
New  York  and  the  Board  of  Elections  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn.  The  proper 
conduct  of  elections  is  intrusted  to  Special  Police  Bureaus  located  in  each  of 
the  Boroughs,  under  the  management  of  a  Superintendent,  who  will  be  ap- 
pointed for  a  term  of  five  years.  The  Boards  of  Police  Commissioners  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  Long  Island  City,  and  the  County 
of  Kichmond  are  abolished.  The  Park  Police  and  the  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  Bridge  force  are  also  brought  into  the  single  police  system.  All 
members  of  the  Police  force  in  every  department  of  the  consolidated  Cities  are 
transferred  to  the  force  of  the  enlarged  City.  All  members  of  the  new  force 
appointed  in  addition  to  those  transferred,  must  be  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  in  the  case  of  patrolmen  must  be  under  thirty  years  of  age.  In- 
creases of  the  staff  may  be  made  from  time  to  time  by  the  Board  with  the 
approval  of  the  Board  of  Estimate.  None  of  the  Commissioners  may  become 
candidates  for  any  elective  office  without  first  resigning  their  position  on  the 
Board.  No  police  officer  may  receive  any  emolument  or  gratuity  for  police 
service  other  than  his  regular  salary,  although  should  a  reward  or  present  for 
special  work  be  tendered  him,  the  Board  may  decide  whether  he  can  accept 
the  gift.  Between  fifty  and  a  hundred  policemen  will  be  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  at  least  thirty  of  this  number  will  see  to 
the  enforcement  of  laws  relating  to  tenement  and  lodging  houses.  In  addition 
to  the  central  police  office  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  there  will  be  police 
headquarters  in  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn.  Elaborate  provision  is  made  for 
widows  and  orphans  of  policemen,  and  also  for  aged  members  of  the  force  by 
a  police  pension  fund. 

The  Fire  Departments  of  the  various  Boroughs  are  united  similarly  to  the 
police  forces.  All  firemen  now  employed  under  pay  in  the  various  Boroughs 
are  retained,  and  as  far  as  is  practicable,  given  the  rank  which  they  had  prior 
to  Consolidation.  Wherever  a  volunteer  company  existed  prior  to  January 
1,  an  effort  will  be  made  to  establish  a  paid  brigade,  but  until  this  scheme  is 
perfected,  the  City  will  pay  to  the  volunteer  companies  sums  equal  to  the 
amount  which  they  have  hitherto  received  from  the  municipality  which  they 
served.  In  the  case  of  firemen,  as  of  policemen,  a  relief  fund  and  pension 
department  are  created. 

The  Board  of  Health  is  charged  with  the  enforcement  of  all  laws  relating  to 
the  public  health.  It  may  erect  and  manage  hospitals  for  contagious  dis- 
eases upon  North  Brothers'  Island,  and  at  other  places ;  may  enforce  repairs 
to  buildings ;  has  control  of  all  public  markets ;  must  prepare  and  keep  on 
file  statistics  regarding  conditions  existing  in  tenements  and  lodging  Louses ; 
may  remove  or  abate  any  building  or  excavation,  or  even  any  business  occu- 
pation which  may  be  considered  dangerous  to  the  good  health  of  the  City. 
The  Board  has  power  to  organize  two  bureaus,  one  a  sanitary  department, 


164 


New  York:  TJie  Second  Ciiy  of  the  World. 


under  the  management  of  a  physician  of  ten  years'  experience,  known  as  the 
sanitary  superintendent,  to  enforce  all  sanitary  regulations ;  and  the  other,  a 
bureau  of  records,  in  charge  of  a  register,  who  will  keep  all  records  of  births, 
marriages  and  deaths,  and  all  inquisitions  of  Coroners.  The  Board  has 
power  to  destroy  the  whole  or  any  part  of  any  cargo  which  may  have  been 
brought  into  port,  and  which  may  be  in  a  putrid  condition,  or  otherwise 
dangerous  to  the  public  health. 

The  Board  of  Education,  as  before  stated,  is  composed  of  delegates  from 
four  local  school  boards.  Of  the  latter  there  is  one  jointly  for  the  Boroughs 
of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx,  and  one  each  for  the  Boroughs  of  Brooklyn, 
Queens  and  Eichmond.  The  Board  of  Education  of  the  old  City  of  New 
York  becomes  the  School  Board  for  the  Boroughs  of  Manhattan  and  the 
Bronx ;  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  old  City  of  Brooklyn  becomes  the 
School  Board  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn ;  and  the  School  Boards  of  Queens 
and  Richmond,  of  nine  members  each,  are  created  in  those  Boroughs.  All 
the  members  of  these  Boards  are  appointed  by  the  Mayor.  The  Board  of 
Education  of  Long  Island  City,  and  all  the  other  boards  of  education  are 
abolished.  A  City  Superintendent  is  required  to  visit  all  the  schools  regu- 
larly and  report  to  the  Central  Board  of  Education,  and  render  each  year  a 
lengthy  report,  offering  suggestions  and  outlining  the  progress  made  during 
the  twelve  months.  He  cannot,  however,  directly  interfere  with  the  manage- 
ment of  any  school.  A  Board  of  Examiners  of  Teachers  is  provided  for, 
and  licenses  to  teach  issued  for  one  year,  which  may  be  renewed  if  the  teacher 
satisfies  the  Borough  authorities. 

The  Board  of  Public  Improvements  is  an  important  and  powerful  body, 
deciding  which  department  is  responsible  for  this  or  that  portion  of  the 
public  undertakings.  It  is  unlawful  for  the  Municipal  Assembly  to  enter 
directly  into  contract  for  any  public  work  or  improvement.  It  must  first 
secure  the  approval  of  this  Board.  If  the  Board  reports  adversely  to  the 
Assembly  on  any  contemplated  action  of  the  latter  body,  any  ordinance  in 
regard  thereto  must  be  considered  killed,  unless  a  five-sixths  majority  vote  sup- 
ported by  the  approval  of  the  Mayor  is  obtained.  The  Board  is  authorized 
to  determine  what  portion  of  the  expense  of  any  public  improvement  shall  be 
borne  by  the  City,  and  is  given  like  powers  with  the  Assembly  in  the  matter 
of  assessments.  The  Board  alone  has  power  to  release  any  contractor  with 
the  City  or  any  of  its  departments,  the  Municipal  Assembly  being  without 
authority  in  this  matter  unless  the  unanimous  approval  of  the  Board  has 
been  secured. 

Each  Borough  elects  its  own  President  for  a  term  of  four  years.  He  does 
not  preside  over  any  general  governing  body  representing  the  Borough  as  a 
whole,  no  such  body  being  provided  for  by  the  Charter ;  but  he  has  power  to  call 
meetings  of,  and  is  ex  officio  a  member  and  the  Chairman  of  every  Board  of 
Local  Improvement  within  his  Borough.    Every  Borough  is  sub-divided  into 


Provisions  of  the  New  Charter. 


165 


Districts  of  Local  Improvement,  of  whicli  thoro  are  twenty  in  the  whole  city, 
each  District  being  coextensive  with  the  State  Senatorial  Districts  lying 
wholly  or  partially  within  the  municipal  limits.  The  essentially  local  in- 
terests of  the  District  in  matters  of  expenditure  are  cared  for  by  the  Local 
Board,  which  consists  of  the  President  of  the  Borough  and  the  members  of 
the  Municipal  Assembly  resident  within  the  District. 

The  administration  of  justice  lies  with  several  inferior  local  courts.  The 
City  Court  is  continued,  its  justices  being  elected  for  terms  of  ten  years. 
Justices'  Courts  and  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  City 
are  abolished.  The  District  Courts  of  New  York  and  the  Justices'  Courts  of 
the  First,  Second  and  Third  Districts  of  Brooklyn  are  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the  justices  of  which 
are  elected  in  some  districts  and  appointed  in  others.  For  the  administration 
of  criminal  justice,  the  city  is  divided  into  two  districts,  the  first  embracing 
the  Boroughs  of  Manhattan  and  Bronx,  and  the  second  the  Boroughs  of 
Brooklyn,  Queens  and  Kichmond.  The  Courts  in  these  Districts  are  called 
Courts  of  Special  Sessions.  The  Justices  and  City  Magistrates  of  the  first 
division  continue  to  be  appointed  as  before.  Police  Justices  are  abolished  in 
the  Second  District  and  City  Magistrates  created  in  their  stead. 

The  sentiments  with  which  the  Charter  is  regarded  by  the  Brooklyn  Con- 
solidationists  is  well  expressed  in  the  words  of  Sanders  Shanks,  Secretary  of 
the  Consolidation  League,  written  after  the  Charter  went  into  effect ; 

"Brooklyn  secured  more  than  her  fair  representation  on  the  Commis- 
sion appointed  to  draft  the  Charter,  and  the  most  aggressive  opponent  of 
Consolidation  now  admits  that  Brooklyn  has  been  more  than  fairly  treated  in 
that  instrument.  Brooklyn  as  a  corporation  ceases  to  exist,  but  Brooklyn  as 
a  name,  as  a  sentiment,  will  live  on  for  generations  to  come.  Her  homes 
remain,  her  people  are  the  same  people,  and  her  future  is  brighter  than  ever 
before.  Already  there  has  been  an  impetus  to  business,  and  people  are  mov- 
ing in  from  New  York.  The  railroads  are  crossing  the  big  bridge  into  the 
heart  of  New  York ;  another  bridge  is  in  course  of  erection,  and  an  all-rail- 
road bridge  is  a  question  of  only  a  few  years.  The  vast  unimproved  sections 
of  Brooklyn,  useless  for  business  but  needed  for  small  homes,  are  rapidly 
building  up.  Manifest  destiny  points  to  the  new  Borough  of  Brooklyn  as 
the  dwelling  place  of  New  York,  and  good  judges  agree  that  the  end  of  the 
first  decade  of  the  new  century  will  see  the  majority  of  voters  in  the  Greater 
New  York  domiciled  on  the  Brooklyn  side  of  the  East  Eiver.  "When  that 
time  arrives,  and  the  poor  confined  dweller  of  Manhattan  Island  is  driven  to 
the  wider  and  freer  spaces  of  Brooklyn,  the  great  moral  question  which  lies 
at  the  root  of  the  Greater  New  York  will  be  fully  appreciated." 


CHAPTER  rV. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  OLD  REGIME  AND  THE  INAUGURATION  OF  THE  SECOND 


DEEARY  rain  storm  on  New  Tear's  Eve,  1897-98,  did  not  prevent  a 


great  popular  demonstration  being  made  to  mark  the  birth  of  the  new 


City.  The  focus  of  the  celebration  was  City  Hall  Park,  the  scene  of 
many  another  memorable  demonstration,  peaceful  and  hostile,  in  the  past 
history  of  the  City.  A  tremendous  throng,  estimated  at  50,000  people,  con- 
gested the  streets  in  that  vicinity,  and  awaited  the  civic  procession  which 
formed  a  few  miles  up  Broadway.  During  the  evening  the  Park  was  illumi- 
nated with  a  brilliant  display  of  pyrotechnics,  and  was  resonant  with  band 
music,  the  singing  of  a  chorus  of  800  voices,  and  the  cheering  of  the  populace. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  the  procession,  the  scene  was  particularly  picturesque. 
Two  minutes  before  midnight,  as  is  the  custom  of  New  York,  every  factory 
and  steamboat  that  had  a  whistle  set  it  scream-ing,  and  the  people  joined  in 
raising  the  din  with  tin  horns  and  other  instruments.  Just  at  midnight,  the 
American  flag  was  mechanically  hoisted  over  the  City  Hall  by  an  electric 
apparatus  actuated  by  the  Mayor  of  San  Francisco,  3,000  miles  away,  and 
the  church  bells  throughout  the  City  broke  forth  with  merry  chimes.  Wil- 
son's Battery,  stationed  at  the  Post  Office,  fired  a  salute  of  100  guns,  and 
searchlights,  fireworks,  bombs,  and  huzzahs  brought  the  celebration  to  a  close. 

In  Brooklyn,  the  Consolidation  was  marked  by  a  reception,  and  appropriate 
exercises  in  the  City  Hall  New  Year's  Eve.  The  committees  in  charge  were 
as  follows : 

Executive  Committee,  representing  citizens  at  large — Joseph  C.  Hendrix, 
"William  Berri,  Herbert  F.  Gunnison,  John  S.  McKeon,  Richard  Young. 

Public  Officials — Mayor  Warster,  Comptroller  Palmer,  Auditor  Sutton, 
President  Stewart,  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  Alderman  Clark. 

Committee  for  the  Society  of  Old  Brooklynites — Dr.  James  L.  Watson, 
President;  Daniel  T.  Leverich,  Edward  D.  White,  John  Hess,  Stephen  M. 
Griswold. 

Sub-committe  on  Arrangements — Mayor  Wurster,  Richard  Young,  J.  R. 
Clark,  Stephen  M.  Griswold,  Herbert  F.  Gunnison,  Dr.  James  L.  Watson, 
William  Berri. 

Six  former  Mayors  of  Brooklyn  received  the  public  in  the  Mayor's  room. 
In  the  center  stood  Mayor  Frederick  W.  Wurster,  and  grouped  about  him 
were  ex-Mayors  Seth  Low,  Frederick  A.  Schroeder,  Daniel  D.  Whitney, 
David  A.  Boody,  and  Charles  A.  Schieren.    At  9 :30  the  exercises  in  the 


CITY  OF  THE  WORLD. 


Inauguration  of  the  New  Regime. 


167 


Council  Chamber  began.  Mayor  "Wurster  made  the  opening  address,  and 
■was  followed  by  St.  Clair  McKelway,  the  orator  of  the  evening,  the  Kev.  Dr. 
J.  M.  Farrar,  and  Will  Carleton.  The  scenes  of  popular  demonstration  out- 
side the  City  Hall  upon  the  arrival  of  midnight  were  similar  to  those  in  New 
York  City. 

In  Long  Island  City  Mayor  Gleason  reviewed  the  Police  and  Fire  Depart- 
ments on  the  morning  of  December  31st.  In  the  evening  the  City  Govern- 
ment was  in  session,  and  business  was  transacted  with  perhaps  a  little  more 
partisan  spice  than  usual,  but  with  no  attempt  at  formal  celebration.  Mayor 
Gleason  was  in  his  office  attending  to  business,  surrounded  by  several  of  his 
legal  advisers  and  office-holders,  together  with  two  policemen  in  citizen's 
dress.  The  Board  of  Aldermen  remained  in  session  until  a  few  minutes  after 
midnight.  Just  at  two  minutes  of  twelve  o'clock  President  Smith  called  for  a 
vote  upon  the  tax  budget  for  the  nest  year,  and  the  four  anti-administration 
Aldermen  voted  for  it,  while  the  three  administration  Aldermen  voted  against 
it.  President  Smith  declared  the  motion  to  approve  carried  just  as  the  first 
steam  whistles  announced  the  birth  of  the  new  year,  and  the  passing  of  the 
City. 

There  were  many  minor  demonstrations  of  joy  in  various  localities,  all  em- 
phasizing the  realization  of  the  new  status  of  the  greater  City. 

On  Saturday  morning,  January  1,  1898,  the  City  Hall  in  the  Borough  of 
Manhattan  was  again  the  center  of  intense  popular  interest,  and  a  large  crowd 
of  citizens  gathered  to  witness  the  inauguration  of  the  new  Mayor.  The 
ceremonies  were  extremely  brief  and  unostentatious.  Shortly  before  noon 
Mayor  Van  Wyck  arrived  and  entered  arm  in  arm  with  his  brother,  Justice 
Augustus  Van  Wyck,  and  was  greeted  by  the  outgoing  Mayors  of  New  York, 
Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  City.  Mayor  Van  Wyck  had  taken  his  oath  of 
office  several  days  before  his  term  actually  began,  and  it  remained  to  perform 
only  a  few  civilities.  Just  as  the  two  gilded  hands  on  the  City  Hall  cupola 
clock  conjoined  to  indicate  high  noon.  Mayor  Strong  addressed  the  incoming 
Mayor  as  follows : 

"Mr.  Van  Wyck,  the  people  of  this  new  City,  made  up  of  five  Boroughs 
and  3, 500,000  of  people,  have  decided  that  you  should  be  the  first  Mayor, 
and  descend  from  your  position  as  Judge  and  assume  the  position  of  Magis- 
trate. My  impression  is  that  this  old  City  in  which  you  and  I  have  lived 
about  the  same  number  of  years,  the  old  City  of  New  York  that  is  passing 
away,  will  contribute  $3, 000, 000, 000  worth  of  property  to  the  new  City,  of 
which  you  will  be  Mayor,  1230,000,000  of  banking  stock,  and  $1,000,000,000 
of  deposits.  And  you  will  take  charge  of  this  little  Borough  along  with  the 
others,  and  will  always  feel,  I  know,  that  it  is  the  brightest  jewel  in  the 
cluster  of  five.  You  have  been  chosen  Mayor  of  onw  of  the  largest  Cities  of 
the  world,  and  I  congratulate  you  and  welcome  you  as  Mayor  of  the  Greater 
New  York." 


168 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World, 


To  which  Mayor  Van  Wyck  replied : 

"The  people  have  chosen  me  Mayor.  I  receive  the  olSce  from  them,  and 
to  them  I  will  answer." 

During  the  next  hour  a  throng  of  citizens  filed  by  the  new  Mayor,  and  tak- 
ing him  by  the  hand  offered  him  their  congratulations,  and  at  one  o'clock  he 
withdrew  to  his  private  chambers  and  promptly  began  the  discharge  of  his 
official  duties. 

Not  all  of  those  into  whose  hands  the  people  intrusted  the  administration 
of  the  affairs  of  the  new  City  had  previously  advocated  municipal  union,  but 
when  Consolidation  became  an  accomplished  fact,  they  entered  upon  their 
duties  with  a  realization  of  the  great  trust  imposed  upon  them.  The  limits 
of  this  work  will  permit  the  citing  of  only  a  few  examples  from  the  various 
branches  of  the  public  service,  and  from  these  the  general  character  of  the 
whole  may  be  judged. 

Eobert  Anderson  Van  Wyck,  to  whom  was  intrusted  for  the  first  time  the 
unprecendented  powers  of  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  consolidated  City  of 
New  York,  was  born  on  Manhattan  Island,  July  20,  1849.  His  father  was 
the  late  Wm.  Van  "Wyck,  a  successful  lawyer  and  man  of  affairs,  and  an  in- 
fluential Democrat.  In  1650,  seven  generations  back,  his  immigrant  ances- 
tor, Cornelius  Barents  Van  Wyck,  came  to  New  Netherland  from  the  town 
of  Wyck,  Holland,  and  married  Ann,  daughter  of  Eev.  Johannes  Theodorus 
Polhemus,  who  was  the  first  Dutch  Keformed  minister  in  this  country.  In- 
termediate ancestors  have  been  conspicuous  on  the  bench,  in  the  halls  of  leg- 
islation, and  in  the  military  service  of  the  Colonies  and  States,  and  have  been 
connected  by  marriage  with  the  leading  old  families  of  the  State,  including 
the  Van  Eensselaers,  Van  Vechtens,  Beekmans,  Gardiners,  Hamiltons  and 
Seymours.  When  a  mere  boy  Robert  A.  Van  Wyck  left  school,  and  in  1862 
engaged  himself  as  an  errand  boy,  but  his  desire  to  enter  the  profession  of 
law  became  so  strong  that  five  years  later  he  returned  to  his  studies,  and  in 
1872  graduated  from  the  Columbia  Law  School  with  the  Valedictory  Honor  at 
the  head  of  a  class  of  124.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  that  year,  and 
quickly  vindicated  his  choice  of  profession,  and  fulfilled  the  promise  given  by 
his  class  standing  in  college.  In  1889  he  was  elevated  to  the  bench  of  the 
City  Court,  and  at  the  time  of  his  nomination  to  the  Mayoralty  was  Chief 
Justice  of  that  court.  Judge  John  H.  McCarthy,  who  nominated  Mr.  Van 
Wyck  in  the  Democratic  City  Convention  September  30,  1897,  pointed  to  the 
fact  that  95  per  cent,  of  Judge  Van  Wyck's  decisions  had  been  aflSrmed  by 
the  courts  of  last  resort,  as  an  indication  of  his  legal  attainments.  During 
the  five  weeks'  municipal  campaign.  Judge  Van  Wyck  abstained  from  personal 
participation,  and  confined  his  public  utterances  to  his  letter  of  acceptance, 
issued  October  19,  which  concluded  with  this  declaration:  "Let  me  add  in 
conclusion  that,  should  the  people  intrust  me  with  the  grave  responsibility  of 
the  Mayoralty,  I  shall  make  the  promotion  of  their  welfare,  to  the  exclusion 


Administration  of  the  New  City. 


171 


of  all  antagonistic  ends,  the  object  to  be  striven  for  with  everj-  power  of  my 
mind  and  body."  Althougli  his  subsequent  election  placed  him  in  the  office 
of  extraordinary  power,  yet  it  is  believed  that  with  his  distinctively  legal 
temperament  his  acceptance  involved  the  sacrifice  of  an  honorably  ambition  to 
wear  the  ermine  of  the  Supreme  Court,  a  distinction  already  enjoyed  by  his 
brother,  Augustus  Van  Wyck,  who  is  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the 
Second  Judicial  District  of  the  State.  The  election  of  November  3,  1897,  at 
which  Mr.  Van  Wyck  was  chosen  Mayor,  was  watched  with  the  keenest  in- 
terest throughout  the  country.  His  leading  opponents  were  Benjamin  F. 
Tracy,  regular  Eepublican  candidate,  and  Seth  Low,  Citizens'  Union  candi- 
date, who  have  been  referred  to  in  the  preceding  chapters,  both  men  of 
national  reputation,  who  had  been  conspicuously  identified  with  the  framing 
of  the  new  Charter.  The  vote  resulted  as  follows,  Henry  George  being  the 
candidate  of  the  Jeffersonian  Democracy  : 


Boroughs. 

Van  Wyck.j  Low. 

Tracy. 

George. 

143,666  1  77,210 

55,834 

13,076 

76,185  65.656 

37,611 

6,938 

9,375  I  5,876 

5,649 

1,096 

4,871  1  2,798 

2,779 

583 

233,997  i  151,540 

101,873 

21,693 

There  were  four  other  candidates  who  received  respectively  the  following 
votes:  Sanial,  Socialistic-Labor  candidate,  14,467;  Wardwell,  Prohibitionist, 
1,359;  Gleason,  Independent  Democrat,  1,023,  and  Cruikshauk,  United 
Democracy,  615.  Mayor  Van  Wyck  is  a  member  of  the  Holland  Society,  and 
of  the  St.  Nicholas,  Democratic,  Manhattan,  and  New  York  Athletic  Clubs, 
Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  and  other  leading  clubs  of  the  city,  and  is 
unmarried. 

Augustus  Winniett  Peters,  President  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  is  a 
native  of  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  and  a  descendant  of  Loyalists  who  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  that  province.  He  is  the  youngest  of  twelve  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  Lester  Peters  and  Mary  Anne  Winniett,  the  father  having 
been  a  lawyer.  Mayor  of  the  City  and  Chief  Magistrate.  President  Peters' 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  grammar  schools  of  his  native  place,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  his  business  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  Custom 
House,  and  later  as  a  bank  clerk  in  New  Brunswick.  Coming  to  New  York 
in  1866  he  went  into  the  gold  business  in  Wall  Street,  and  a  few  years  there- 
after was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Gold  Exchange.  He  gradually  developed 
large  mining  interests,  and  in  1876  was  elected  Chairman  of  the  Mining 
— now  the  Consolidated — Exchange,  a  position  which  he  held  until  his  resigna- 
tion in  December,  1897.  In  politics,  Mr,  Peters  has  always  been  a  thorough- 
going and  hard-working  Democrat,  and  for  many  years  has  been  an  influential 


172 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


member  of  the  Tammany  Society.  In  January,  1804,  lie  became  Chairman 
of  the  General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall,  succeeding  Nelson  Smith,  and 
in  the  same  year  was  nominated  on  the  Tammany  ticket  for  President  of  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  of  the  City  of  New  York,  but  he  was  defeated  by  ex- Judge 
John  Jeroloman,  who  was  nominated  by  the  Anti-Tammany,  Eejjublican,  and 
other  Associations.  In  1897  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Borough  of 
Manhattan  by  a  vote  of  139,450,  against  61,168  for  Hoguet,  Citizens'  Union 
and  United  Democracy  candidate,  and  57,866  for  Stern,  Eepublican.  Soon 
after  the  inauguration  of  the  new  government,  Mr.  Peters  became  Acting 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Plan  and  Scope  of  the  General  Committee  of 
Citizens  for  the  proposed  celebration  of  Charter  Day,  May  4,  1898,  and  until 
the  abandonment  of  the  project  on  account  of  the  Cuban  War,  presided  over 
the  meetings  of  that  important  body  to  its  entire  satisfaction.  In  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  organization,  as  in  all  his  public  functions,  he  was  always 
courteously  but  firmly  opposed  to  any  proposition  which  did  not  promise  to 
benefit  all  classes  of  citizens  equally.  Mr.  Peters  is  unmarried,  but  devotes 
much  time  to  social  affairs  in  his  private  circle,  and  through  his  membership 
in  the  New  York  Athletic,  the  Military,  Democratic,  Algonquin  and  other 
clubs.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Old  Guard  Veteran  Battalion,  and  is  on 
the  staff  of  present  Commandant. 

Edward  M.  Grout,  lawyer  and  first  President  of  Brooklyn  BorougL,  is  the 
son  of  Edward  Grout,  a  well-known  member  of  the  Produce  Exchange,  and 
grandson  of  Paul  Grout,  an  influential  member  of  the  Legislature  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City  October  27,  1861,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  and  Colgate  Univer- 
sity, graduating  from  the  latter  in  the  Class  of  '84.  He  was  subsequently 
honored  by  his  alma  mater  by  being  elected  the  first  Alumni  Trustee  of  the 
college.  After  studying  law  with  General  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  he  formed 
a  partnership  on  January  1,  1893,  with  Judge  W.  J.  Gaynor.  With  the 
public-spirited  acts  of  Judge  Gaynor,  Mr.  Grout  was  heartily  in  sympathy, 
himself  having  begun  the  contest  before  the  Brooklyn  Board  of  Aldermen  in 
1892  to  compel  the  realization  of  the  highest  prices  for  street  railroad  fran- 
chises. With  Judge  Gaynor  he  afterward  carried  this  contest  to  the  courts, 
and  after  the  latter's  election  to  the  Supreme  Court  in  1893,  he  continued  the 
contest  alone  with  equal  vigor.  In  consequence  no  franchise  has  since  been 
granted  in  Brooklyn  without  compensation.  Mr.  Grout  had  charge  of  his 
associate's  campaign  for  the  Judgeship,  and  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the 
events  at  Gravesend  on  Election  Day,  1893,  and  in  the  prosecution  which 
finally  resulted  so  disastrously  to  Boss  McKane  and  his  associates.  In  1895 
the  Democrats  of  Brooklyn  nominated  Mr.  Grout  for  Mayor,  and  while  not 
elected,  he  cut  down  his  opponent's  majority  from  33,000,  the  figure  at  the 
previous  mayoralty  election,  to  the  narrow  margin  of  2,000.  He  was  early 
interested  in  the  Consolidation  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn.    He  was  one  of 


Administration  of  the  New  City. 


175 


the  most  active  members  of  the  Consolidation  League,  and  the  right-hand 
man  of  the  father  of  the  League,  Judge  Gaynor.  In  the  Fall  of  1896  he 
called  the  attention  of  the  Greater  New  York  Charter  Commission  to  the  fact 
that  the  first  draft  of  the  Charter  omitted  any  provision  for  municipal  owner- 
ship of  franchises,  and  urged  a  radical  provision  on  this  subject.  Of  late  he 
has  advocated  by  writings  and  public  addresses  the  extension  of  municipal 
ownership.  In  the  election  of  the  first  administration  of  the  Consolidated 
City  of  New  York,  in  November,  1897,  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
Borough  of  Brooklyn,  receiving  85, 921  votes  to  46, 383  for  Eoberts,  Republi- 
can, and  50,773  for  Hinrichs,  Citizens'  Union  candidate.  Among  the  social 
organizations  to  which  he  belongs  are  the  D.  K.  E.,  Montauk,  Hamilton, 
Brooklyn  and  Oxford  Clubs. 

Louis  F.  Haflfen,  President  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 6,  1854,  in  Melrose,  Westchester  County,  which  is  now  a  part  of  the 
Borough  mentioned.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Columbia  College  School  of 
Mines  as  Civil  Engineer  in  1879.  He  studied  previously  at  St.  John's  Col- 
lege, Fordham,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Niagara  College,  receiving  the  groundwork  of 
his  education  at  a  German  private  school,  and  the  local  public  school.  He 
entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  as  Civil  Engineer,  after 
finishing  at  Columbia  College,  and  in  a  short  time  afterward,  made  a  practi- 
cal study  of  mines  and  meteorology  in  Colorado,  California,  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.  On  his  return  to  New  York  he  resumed  the  work  of  a  city  surveyor 
and  civil  engineer  in  Melrose,  and  the  adjoining  neighborhood.  He  became 
noted  as  a  local  authority  for  the  lay-out  of  streets,  and  the  correction  of  old 
lines  with  new,  a  task  which  presented  very  perplexing  problems  at  times. 
On  account  of  his  usefulness  in  this  direction,  he  was  appointed  on  the 
engineering  staflf  of  the  Park  Department  of  the  City  of  New  York,  remaining 
with  this  department  for  many  years,  eventually  becoming  Superintendent  of 
Parks  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty -fourth  Wards.  In  1893  he  was 
appointed  Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements  of  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-f<.>urth  Wards  by  Mayor  Gilroy,  and  in  the  Fall  of  that  year  was 
elected  by  an  overwhelming  majority  to  the  same  position.  Six  months  as  a 
public  works  commissioner  led  the  people  to  believe  in  his  ability  and  integ- 
rity. He  held  the  office  of  Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements  until 
December  31,  1897,  when  it  was  abolished  by  the  Greater  New  York  Charter. 
At  the  Fall  election  of  1897  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx  by  a  majority  of  5,640  over  his  two  principal  opponents.  His  term  as 
Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements  was  characterized  by  a  remarkable 
development  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards. 

Frederick  Bowley,  President  of  the  Borough  of  Queens,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  December  19,  1851,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  F.  Bowley,  of  Stutt- 
gart, Germany,  and  Rosanna  Drexzel,  of  Austria.  He  received  a  grammar 
school  education  in  his  native  city,  and  when  but  twelve  years  of  age,  was 


17  G 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


bonud  out  to  a  local  ]iroprietor  to  learn  the  details  of  the  merchandizing  of 
meats.  After  familiarizing  himself  with  every  branch  of  the  business,  he 
took  Horace  Greeley's  advice  and  "went  west, "  for  its  better  pursuit,  but 
subsequently  returned  to  New  York  and  established  his  own  store.  After  the 
ups  and  downs  incident  to  a  career  undertaken  single  handed,  he  eventually 
established  himself  on  a  prosperous  basis,  with  a  branch  store  on  Long 
Island,  and  gradually  enlarged  his  business  until  now  he  has  in  Long  Island 
City  one  of  the  largest  packing,  wholesale  and  retail  establishments  in  New 
York  City.  In  politics  Mr.  Bowley  has  generally  been  independent;  but  in 
1895  was  elected  Alderman-at-Large  of  Long  Island  City  on  the  Jeffersonian 
Democracy  ticket,  and  was  elected  President  of  the  Borough  of  Queens  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  in  1897,  receiving  9,278  votes  against  6,341  for 
Fritsche,  Republican;  3,660  for  Dunton,  National  Democrat;  2,171  for 
Renwick,  Citizens'  Union  candidate;  and  919  for  Borg,  Socialist.  Mr. 
Bowley  is  a  Mason,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Queens  County  Athletic 
Club.  He  married  Miss  Anna  Poles,  a  native  of  New  York  City,  of  Dutch 
extraction.  They  have  no  children  living,  but  adopted  and  reared  the  three 
motherless  children  of  Mr.  Bowley 's  brother  Edward.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowley 
have  done  much  in  practical  charity  for  the  poor  of  Long  Island  City.  In 
one  instance  they  donated  $1,000  to  the  poor,  and  distributed  tickets  to  the 
clergymen  of  all  denominations  to  give  to  all  deserving  people,  so  that  they 
could  procure  bread  and  meat  every  other  day. 

John  Lewis  Feeny,  M.D.,  son  of  Dr.  Joseph  Feeny,  was  born  at  Stapleton, 
S.  I.,  May  29,  1845.  His  early  education  received  the  especial  attention  of 
his  father,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  Seamen's  Retreat  Hospital, 
where  he  remained  for  eight  years.  After  a  thorough  preparatory  course  he 
entered  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
among  the  highest  in  his  class  in  1866.  Almost  immediately  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  student  life,  he  received  an  appointment  as  House  Physician  to 
the  Seaman's  Retreat,  which  he  resigned  in  1869  to  enter  private  practice  in 
Stapleton.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  physician  to  the  Metropolitan  Police, 
and  detailed  to  special  duty.  To  obtain  this  position  he  was  obliged  to  pass 
an  examination  before  eighteen  physicians,  who  then  constituted  the  Medical 
Examining  Board.  For  fifteen  or  twenty  years  he  held  the  position  of  Health 
Officer  of  the  Town  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.  He  was  also  Surgeon  to  the  Police 
Department  of  Richmond  County  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1884  Dr.  Feeny, 
with  a  few  others,  founded  the  Staten  Island  Academy,  and  served  as  Vice- 
President  of  this  Institution  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1893  he  was  elected 
Supervisor  of  the  town  of  Middletown,  to  which  office  he  was  re-elected  in  1895 
and  1897,  by  unprecedented  majorities.  During  his  term  of  office  as  Supervisor, 
he  acted  as  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee.  As  Chairman  of  the  Road 
Committee  he  was  the  guiding  spirit  in  the  great  movement  to  build  and  im- 
prove public  roads,  which  are  universally  acknowledged  to  be  economically 


Administration  of  the  New  City. 


177 


and  scientifically  built.  In  1897  he  was  nominated  to  the  office  of  President 
of  the  Borough  of  Kichmoud  by  the  regular  Democratic  party,  and  his  phe- 
nomenal run  against  George  Cromwell,  Republican,  who  was  on  five  difi'erent 
tickets,  speaks  well  for  the  Doctor's  popularity.  The  Doctor  served  on  the 
Committee  of  Conference,  called  by  the  Tammany  Society  for  organizing  and 
conducting  the  preliminary  measures  to  eff'ect  a  consolidation  of  the  Demo- 
cratic organizations  in  the  Greater  New  York,  after  the  passage  of  the  Act 
creating  the  new  City.  He  represented  in  the  conference  the  Borough  of 
Richmond.  This  conference  appointed  him  a  member  of  the  Committee  to 
apportion  the  representation  by  delegates  from  the  Boroughs  composing  the 
new  City,  also  of  the  Committee  to  name  the  date  ana  place  for  holding  the 
convention  to  nominate  City  officers.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  Committee 
to  call  the  next  convention,  and  to  consider  the  interests  of  the  Democratic 
Party  until  the  convention  assembles.* 

Cornelius  Van  Cott,  Postmaster  of  the  City  of  New  York,  was  born  on 
Manhattan  Island,  February  12,  1838,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
His  father,  believing  that  he  should  learn  a  trade,  put  him  to  work  in  the 
earriage-making  business,  but  the  young  man  did  not  find  this  to  his  taste, 
and  he  left  it  for  the  insurance  business.  For  the  latter  he  displayed  great 
aptitude,  and  by  his  shrewd  business  judgment  and  unimpeachable  integrity 
forged  ahead  rapidly  until  he  became  Vice-President  of  the  ^tna  Insurance 
Co.  It  is  not  strange,  perhaps,  that  with  his  views  on  insurance,  he  should 
have  been  a  member  of  the  old  Volunteer  Fire  Department;  and  as  one  thing 
led  to  another,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Commissioners 
from  1873  to  1875,  and  again  from  1879  to  1885.  During  most  of  his  service 
in  that  capacity  he  was  President  of  the  Board,  and  effected  many  valuable 
reforms  in  the  administration  of  the  department,  and  the  provision  of  struc- 
tural safeguards  throughout  the  city.  In  1887  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  as  a  Republican  by  a  plurality  of  nearly  5, 000  from  the  Eighth  District, 
which  had  given  a  Democratic  plurality  of  1,500  the  year  before.  Upon  the 
inauguration  of  President  Harrison  in  1889,  he  was  tendered  the  position  of 
Postmaster  of  New  York,  whereupon  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate  and 
assumed  at  once  the  most  responsible  postal  i^osition  in  the  United  States 


*  The  vote  for  President  of  the  Borough  of  Richmond  as  originally  announced  was  as  follows  : 
John  L.  Feeny,  Democrat,  5,446  ;  George  Cromwell,  Republican,  Citizens'  Union,  and  Indepen- 
dent Democratic  candidate,  5,405;  Fransecky,  Socialist- Labor,  137;  and  Robert  Scott,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 95.  Mr.  Cromwell  took  an  appeal  from  the  return,  and  the  Court  of  Appeals  decided  in 
his  favor.  On  May  24,  1898,  therefore,  the  Board  of  Canvassers  of  Richmond  County  formally 
declared  Mr.  Cromwell  elected,  but  the  official  machinery  of  the  borough  remained  inoperative 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  outgoing  Board  of  City  Canvassers  had  not  certified  to  the  statement  of 
the  County  Canvassers.  Ou  June  30,  1898,  just  as  these  pages  are  going  to  the  printer.  Justice 
Daly,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  issued  a  peremptory  writ  of  mandamus  directing  the  Board  of  City 
Canvassers  to  certify  to  the  statement  of  the  County  Canvassers  that  Mr.  Cromwell  had  been 
elected.    On  July  7,  1898,  the  City  Canvassers  re-convened  and  so  certified. 


178  Neio  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

outside  of  the  Department  at  Washington.  Mr.  Van  Cott,  with  his  practical 
and  business-like  views,  saw  at  once  the  necessity  for  certain  changes  in  the 
service,  and  devoted  himself  to  its  improvement  with  a  directness  and  effi- 
ciency which  the  City  and  County  were  not  slow  to  appreciate.  In  1893, 
upon  Cleveland's  inauguration,  Mr.  Van  Cott  was  superseded  by  C.  W.  Day- 
ton, but  upon  McKinley's  inauguration  in  1897,  he  was  recalled  to  the  office 
in  which  he  had  won  a  distinguished  reputation.  Upon  the  Consolidation 
of  the  communities  about  the  Port  of  New  York  into  a  single  City,  January 
1,  1898,  the  Government  did  not  consolidate  the  postal  services  in  the  united 
municipalties,  and  as  yet,  the  relation  of  the  office  of  Manhattan  Borough  to 
those  of  the  other  Boroughs  remains  as  before.  One  of  the  most  striking 
innovations  made  during  Mr.  Van  Cott's  present  term  has  been  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  pneumatic  tube  service,  which  is  destined  to  effect  a  revolution  in 
the  distribution  and  collection  of  mails  in  the  Second  City  of  the  World. 

Francis  H.  Wilson,  Postmaster  of  Brooklyn,  was  born  in  Westmoreland, 
Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  February  11,  1844.  The  first  ten  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  in  Utica,  N.  Y.  His  family  then  returned  to  the  Westmoreland 
Farm,  where  he  attended  the  district  school  for  several  years  in  the  inter- 
vals of  his  farm  duties.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Dr.  Dwight's  Prepara- 
tory School  in  Clinton,  N.  Y,,  and  entered  Yale  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1867.  He  taught  in  a  preparatory  school  for  four  years,  and 
having  acquired  the  means  for  a  legal  education,  studied  law  for  two  years  at 
the  Columbia  Law  School,  under  Judge  Theodore  W.  Dwight.  He  was  then 
admitted  to  the  Bar  and  began  practice  in  the  law  office  of  the  Hon.  E.  L. 
Fancher,  of  New  York  City.  Two  years  later  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own. 
Since  1884  he  has  lived  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  has  taken  a  prominent  and 
active  part  in  politics  as  a  Republican.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Kings 
County  Campaign  Committee  in  the  campaign  of  1892,  was  elected  to  the 
Fifty-fourth  Congress  from  the  Third  Congressional  District  of  New  York 
State  (Brooklyn),  and  was  re-elected  to  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress  by  a  plurality 
of  7,553  votes.  In  Congress  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Committee 
on  Naval  Affairs,  and  for  some  time  was  considered  by  the  President  as  a  pos- 
sible Secretary  of  the  Navy.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of  Mc- 
Kinley's nomination  in  the  Spring  of  1896,  and  one  of  his  best  friends  and 
most  earnest  workers  in  Brooklyn.  On  September  21,  1897,  he  was  nominated 
to  the  Senate  to  succeed  Postmaster  Sullivan,  of  Brooklyn,  and  upon  his  con- 
firmation he  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress  to  asume  his  new  duties.  Upon 
the  Consolidation  of  the  municipalities  about  the  port  of  New  York,  the  post- 
offices  within  the  consolidated  territory  were  not  united  under  one  jurisdic- 
tion, and  the  responsibility  of  the  Brooklyn  office  remains  as  before.  Mr. 
Wilson  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Union  League  Club, 
of  Brooklyn,  of  which  he  was  President  for  four  successive  years.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Yale  Alumni  Association,  of  New  York. 


Administration  of  the  New  City. 


181 


Cornelius  Furgueson,  Jr.,  Justice  of  tlie  Municipal  Court  of  the  Fifth  Dis- 
trict, was  born  in  the  old  town  of  New  Utrecht  in  1857,  thirty -seven  years 
before  its  absorption  into  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  and  forty-one  years  before  it 
became  a  part  of  the  great  City  of  New  York.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  Cor- 
nelius Furgueson,  formerly,  and  for  almost  a  generation,  a  Supervisor  of  the 
town  of  New  Utrecht.  Cornelius,  Jr.,  has  always  lived  in  Brooklyn,  his 
present  home  being  a  handsome  villa  in  Bensonhurst,  a  settlement  which  he 
has  done  much  to  develop.  As  a  boy  and  youth  he  received  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, passing  through  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  then  graduat- 
ing from  Columbia  Law  School  in  1877.  In  1878  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
but  has  divided  his  attention  between  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  the 
conduct  of  an  extensive  real  estate  business.  In  the  latter  he  is  accounted  an 
expert,  and  has  been  largely  influential  in  developing  valuable  properties  on 
Long  Island.  In  politics  he  is  an  active  Democrat,  but  previous  to  his 
present  appointment  has  never  held  other  office  than  that  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  of  New  Utrecht.  He  shares  with  Alderman  Keegan  the  political  leader- 
ship of  his  party  in  the  Thirtieth  Ward.  He  is  conspicuously  identified  with 
athletic  exercises  and  out-of-door  sports,  and  has  a  national  reputation  as  a 
pigeon  shot.  His  youthful  son  also  has  considerable  reputation  as  a  marks- 
man. Judge  Furgueson  is  a  well-known  and  popular  member  of  several 
sporting  and  social  organizations,  including  the  New  Utrecht  Gun,  Gravesend 
Bay  Yacht,  Crescent  Athletic  and  Parkway  Driving  Clubs,  Kedron  Lodge, 
F.  and  A.  M.,  Utrecht  Council,  R.A.M.,  Woods  Lodge,  LO.O.F.,  and  Gar- 
field Council,  N.  P.  U. 

John  M.  Tierney,  lawyer  and  jurist,  and  Justice  of  the  Municipal  Court  for 
the  Second  District,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New  Y'^ork,  October 
14,  1860.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  metropolis,  and 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  Erastus  New.  In  1882  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar,  and  for  the  last  sixteen  years  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  civil 
practice.  He  was  at  the  time  of  his  elevation  to  the  Municipal  bench  a  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Tierney  &  Halsey.  Judge  Tierney  has  become  recog- 
nized as  an  authority  on  laws  governing  the  Police  Department,  and  has  been 
engaged  on  numberless  police  cases  involving  important  questions  of  derelic- 
tion of  duty,  and  dismissal,  and  the  powers  of  the  Commissioners  of  Police 
over  their  subordinates,  and  the  mode  of  the  exercise  of  those  powers.  He 
has  defended  more  than  200  policemen,  and  with  remarkable  success.  In 
1892  he  was  assistant  attorney  for  the  Fire  Department,  and  from  June,  1892, 
to  April,  1895,  Assistant  Counsel  for  the  Department  of  Buildings.  The 
latter  position  he  resigned  in  1895  to  become  counsel  for  the  Union  Eailway 
Co.  When,  in  1897,  he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Municipal  Court,  he 
brought  to  the  administration  of  his  duties  a  wide  experience  and  great  judi- 
cial ability.  He  was  opposed  to  the  annexation  of  Brooklyn,  Richmond  and 
Queens,  but  after  Consolidation,  with  his  accustomed  energy,  he  worked  for 


182 


New  York:  llie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


the  harmonious  administration  of  the  affairs  of  those  outlying  communities 
which  had  been  brought  into  the  great  municipality  of  New  York.  Judge 
Tierney  is  first  Vice-President  of  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee  in 
the  Thirty -fifth  Assembly  District,  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Municipal 
Afi'airs  in  the  general  organization,  first  Vice-President  of  the  Fordham  Club, 
a  member  of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  Boscobel 
Wheelmen,  the  Brownson  Club,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  the  Friendly 
Sons  of  Saint  Patrick. 

Clarence  W.  Meade,  City  Magistrate  of  the  First  Division,  Borough  of 
Manhattan,  who  has  the  unique  distinction  of  being  the  only  person  in  New 
York  City  holding  a  Judgeship  who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Bar,  was  born  in 
New  York  City  in  1841,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  His  father 
was  Abraham  B.  Meade,  who  was  appointed  appraiser  of  the  Port  of  New 
York  by  Andrew  Jackson,  and  held  the  position  for  many  years.  When 
Clarence  W.  Meade  was  sixteen  years  old  he  went  into  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness, but  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  W^ar  he  joined  the  Produce  Exchange 
and  opened  a  brokerage  oflice.  Immediately  after  the  war  he  retired  from 
this  business,  but  still  retains  his  membership  in  the  Exchange.  Since  he 
cast  his  first  vote  in  1865,  he  has  been  an  active  Eepublican,  and  the  recog- 
nized leader  of  his  party  in  the  Thirteenth,  now  the  Ninth,  Assembly  Dis- 
trict. In  1866  President  Johnson  appointed  him  Assistant  Appraiser  of  the 
Port  of  New  York,  and  in  1880  Governor  Cornell  appointed  him  Port  War- 
den. He  held  the  latter  office  until  1890,  when  Mayor  Grant  paid  a  further 
tribute  to  his  ability  by  appointing  him  to  the  position  of  Police  Justice. 
He  was  legislated  out  of  office  in  1895,  and  appointed  City  Magistrate  by 
Mayor  Strong,  June  1,  1897.  Justice  Meade  assumed  and  discharged  the  func- 
tions of  his  office  with  a  natural  ability  and  adaptability  which  did  not  sur- 
prise those  who  knew  him  intimately.  His  official  duties  in  connection  with 
the  customs  service  had  called  into  exercise  and  developed  his  faculties  of 
judgment  and  discrimination  to  such  an  extent  that  without  any  special  legal 
training  he  was  able  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  position  to  the  entire 
acceptance  of  the  public.  In  order  to  retain  his  services  special  legislation 
was  enacted  in  1897.  He  has  made  an  enviable  record  on  the  Bench  for  his 
discrimination  and  fairness,  and  enjoys  a  wide  popularity.  His  term  exi)ires 
July  1,  1907. 

Alderman  Frank  Gass,  of  Unionport,  formerly  in  the  town  of  Westchester, 
in  the  annexed  district  of  New  York,  came  to  the  United  States  from  Bavaria 
in  1872.  He  possessed  no  resources  except  energy  and  native  ability,  with 
both  of  which  he  was  x^lentifully  endowed,  and  these  have  formed  the  best 
capital  he  could  have  had.  Mr.  Gass  has  achieved  success.  He  first  learned 
the  language  of  his  adopted  country,  working  as  a  confectioner  meantime, 
then  took  up  house  painting  and  decorating,  which  he  prosecuted  for  several 
years,  just  south  of  the  Harlem  River,  and  soon  developed  remarkable  ability 


JOHN    W.    KIMBALL.  JOSL\Ii    T.  MAREAN. 


Administration  of  the  Neio  City. 


185 


and  foresight  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  real  estate.  Along  these  lines,  Mr. 
Gass  has  accumulated  a  justly  earned  fortune.  Kemoving  to  Unionport  while 
the  region  was  yet  undeveloped,  he  has  become  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  respected  citizens  in  the  community.  His  business  interests  are  confined 
entirely  to  real  estate  and  insurance,  in  the  latter  line  representing  most  of 
the  leading  companies.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  Assessor  of 
Westchester  for  four  years,  from  1892  to  1896,  and  in  1897  was  the  candi- 
date of  Tammany  Hall  for  Alderman  in  the  Tenth  District,  being  elected  by  a 
vote  of  2,094  to  1,037  for  Lewis,  Kepublican.  Mr.  Gass  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  important  organizations  of  his  district.  He  is  active  in  the 
Councils  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  holding  for  three  years  the  office  of  Deputy 
Grand  Master;  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  of  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  Taxpayers'  Alliance,  Westchester  Mannerchor,  the  Jelferson  Demo- 
cratic Club,  and  many  other  organizations  of  prominence.  Mr.  Gass  is  a 
gifted  after-dinner  speaker,  convincing  campaign  orator,  and  known  and  re- 
spected all  over  his  district.  It  has  been  truthfully  said  that  he  is  counselor 
and  adviser  for  a  great  host  of  people  of  all  classes,  creeds  and  conditions  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  City.  He  was  married  in  1873  to  Kathrina  Bilhoefer, 
of  Germany, 

Adolph  C.  Hotteuroth,  lawyer  and  member  of  the  Municipal  Council  for  the 
Fifth  District,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  18G9. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Courtland  Avenue  public  school,  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  the  New  York  University.  Admitted  to  the  Bar  of 
New  York,  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Gumbleton  &  Hottenroth.  In 
the  practice  of  the  law,  Mr.  Hotttenroth  was  quickly  successful,  and  he  has 
already  obtained  prominence  at  the  Bar,  In  political  afi'airs  he  displays 
characteristic  ability  and  energy,  A  Democrat  in  faith,  he  quickly  obtained 
recognition  in  the  party  councils,  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  New  York  State,  one  of  the  youngest  men,  it  is  said,  who  served  in 
that  distinguished  body.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Canals; 
and  the  recommendations  of  that  important  Committee,  the  Constitutional 
amendments  and  radical  improvement  in  the  State  waterways,  which  followed, 
were  largely  the  result  of  Mr.  Hottenroth 's  sagacity  and  elfort.  He  has  been 
closely  identified  with  all  the  needs  and  improvements  of  the  Twenty-third 
and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  counsel  for  and  influential  member  of  the  Twenty- 
third  Ward  Property  Ownaers'  Association,  and  the  Alliance  of  Taxpayers' 
Associations.  He  has  steadfastly  favored  public  improvements,  such  as 
bridges,  parks,  and  improved  highways.  In  the  regard  and  confidence  of  his 
neighbors  and  fellow-citizens,  Mr.  Hottenroth  occupies  an  enviable  position, 

John  W,  Kimball,  Treasurer  of  Kings  County,  was  born  at  Sandwich, 
N,  H.,  and  descends  in  the  Kimball  and  Wentworth  (maternal)  lines,  from 
some  of  the  oldest  and  most  distinguished  New  England  families.  Among 
the  Kimball  relatives  are  Sumner  I,  Kimball,  United  States  Superintendent 


186 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


aud  founder  of  the  United  States  Life  Saving  Service,  and  Dr.  Grace  Kimball, 
whose  valuable  services  as  the  head  of  the  Industrial  Bureau  at  Van,  Armenia, 
for  the  relief  of  the  Armenians,  are  widely  known.  Mr.  Kimball's  father  was 
William  A.  Kimball,  who  practiced  law  many  years  in  Eochester,  N.  H. 
There  the  young  man  received,  in  the  public  and  high  schools,  his  early  edu- 
cation, which  was  supplemented  by  advanced  studies  at  West  Lebanon 
Academy  in  Maine,  and  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Then  he  taught  school  a  year 
at  Rochester,  N.  H.,  spent  two  years  in  the  drug  business  in  St.  Peter,  Minn., 
returned  to  his  native  town  and  embarked  in  the  hat  and  shoe  business,  and 
finally  came  to  New  York,  where  he  was  engaged  with  the  firm  of  Nichols  & 
Batcheller,  wholesalers.  After  this,  he  went  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged 
in  the  drug  and  real  estate  business.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Brooklyn 
Board  of  Education  for  some  years,  and  did  great  service  to  the  school  inter- 
ests of  the  section  of  the  City  in  which  he  has  so  long  resided.  He  has  been 
an  ardent  and  earnest  worker  for  the  public  welfare,  and  that  the  people  fully 
appreciate  this  is  evinced  by  the  many  positions  of  trust  and  honor  which  he 
has  filled,  and  those  he  now  occupies.  He  has  always  been  a  Democrat  in  his 
political  belief,  from  the  time  he  cast  his  first  vote  to  the  present,  and 
while  liberal  in  his  views  as  to  the  beliefs  and  opinions  of  others,  he  is  reso- 
lute and  firm  in  his  own.  As  Democratic  candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large  in 
1893,  he  ran  throughout  the  entire  City  of  Brooklyn  and  was  defeated,  as  was 
the  entire  Democratic  ticket,  but  received  one  of  the  largest  votes  cast.  In 
1897  he  ran  on  the  Democratic  County  ticket  for  the  office  of  Kings  County 
Treasurer,  and  was  elected  by  over  35,000  majority.  Mr.  Kimball  is  a 
Director  in  the  Fifth  Avenue  Bank,  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Prospect  Home  Building  and  Loan  Association  (with  assets  of  over  $100,000), 
a  position  which  he  has  held  since  its  organization ;  Trustee  of  the  South 
Brooklyn  Board  of  Trade,  also  of  the  United  or  Central  Board  of  Trade  for 
the  City  at  large. 

Josiah  T.  Marean,  District  Attorney  for  Kings  County,  comes  from  old 
French  ancestors  who  settled  in  America  200  years  ago.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Maine,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  April  30,  1842,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  State  Normal  School  in  1862.  After  teaching  awhile  in  the  latter, 
and  in  the  Polytechnic  Institute  in  Brooklyn,  he  studied  law  in  New  York 
City,  in  the  office  of  Emerson,  Goodrich  &  Knowlton.  The  Hon.  Wm.  Win- 
ton  Goodrich,  of  the  firm,  is  now  presiding  Justice  of  the  Appellate  Division 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  Mr.  Marean  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  December, 
1866,  and  has  practiced  law  in  the  City  of  Brooklyn  ever  since.  Up  to  his 
election  as  District  Attorney,  he  never  held  any  public  office.  In  1895  he 
was  nominated  by  the  regular  Democracy  for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
but  was  defeated,  although  he  ran  about  5,000  ahead  of  his  ticket  in  Kings 
County.  His  defeat  was  attributed  to  bis  failure  to  secure  the  indorsement 
of  the  Independent  Democracy,  which  had  indorsed  a  Republican  before  his 


Administration  of  the  New  City. 


187 


nomination  was  made.  Mr.  Marean  is  a  member  of  the  Hamilton,  Brooklyn 
and  Crescent  Clubs,  as  well  as  the  Brooklyn  Chess  Club,  of  which  he  has 
been  President  for  the  past  three  years.  He  has  also  been  President  of  the 
Bar  Association  of  Brooklyn.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Consolidation  League,  and  worked  earnestly  for  municipal  amalgamation. 

Anthony  McOwen,  Coroner  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land fifty-sis  years  ago.  When  but  fifteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  America, 
and  has  since  resided  continuously  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  Mr.  McOwen 
first  learned  the  trade  of  carpentry,  but  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War  he  was  among  the  first  to  go  to  the  front,  joining  the  Ninety -ninth  Regi- 
ment of  New  York  Volunteers.  His  war  record  was  most  honorable,  and  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Mc- 
Owen returned  to  his  home  and  began  life  over  again,  working  at  his  trade 
as  a  carpenter.  For  forty  years  he  has  resided  in  the  upper  district,  and  is 
well  known  throughout  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  McOwen  has  long 
foreseen  the  inevitable  colossal  union  of  communities  about  New  York  into 
one  great  City,  and  believing  it  for  the  best  interests  of  all,  he  has  been  an 
unwavering  advocate  of  Consolidation.  He  has  held  many  responsible  posi- 
tions in  his  community,  such  as  Assessor  of  Morrisania,  Treasurer  of  the 
Volunteer  Fire  Department  of  the  Town,  and  for  eight  years  he  was  Deputy 
Tax  Commissioner.  In  1897  he  was  elected  the  first  Coroner  of  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx.  In  the  social  affairs  of  his  locality  Mr.  McOwen  is  an  impor- 
tant factor.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic, 
having  organized  the  John  A.  Rawlins  Post,  and  has  been  closely  identified 
with  all  its  history. 

John  H.  Sutphin,  County  Clerk  of  Queens  County,  is  an  example  of  appre- 
ciated fidelity  in  public  oflice  not  uncommon  in  conservative  New  England, 
but  rare  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Metropolis.  He  was  first  elected  to  this  oflice 
in  1871,  and  has  been  re-elected  every  three  years  since  his  first  incumbency, 
commencing  his  tenth  term  on  January  1,  1898.  Mr.  Sutphin  was  born  in 
Jamaica,  L.  I.,  in  1836,  and  received  his  education  in  the  Jamaica  schools. 
As  a  young  man  he  developed  methodical  and  industrious  habits  which,  with 
his  personal  integrity,  have  been  the  secret  of  his  success  in  business,  and  of 
his  efiiciency  in  public  oflice.  He  is  a  man  of  marked  executive  ability,  and 
gives  close  attention  to  the  details  of  whatever  he  has  in  hand.  Outside  of 
the  County  Clerk's  office  he  has  important  business  connections,  being  Presi- 
dent of  the  Bank  of  Jamaica,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Jamaica  Savings 
Bank.  He  is  also  warmly  interested  in  educational  affairs,  and  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  direction  of  the  Jamaica  Normal  School,  of  which  he  is  a 
Trustee.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  Democrat.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  Chairman  of  the  Democratic  Central  Committee  of  Queens,  and  the 
acknowledged  leader  of  his  party  in  that  County.    In  1857  he  married  Carrie 


188 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


M.  Smith,  of  Jamaica,  and  has  five  children.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Man- 
hattan Club,  of  New  York,  and  several  other  social  and  political  organizations. 

John  Whalen,  Corporation  Counsel  of  the  City  of  New  York,  was  born  in 
that  City  of  Irish  parents,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence, 1854.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  and  entered  the  law  office  of 
the  late  Charles  O' Conor  as  a  boy.  Following  his  employer's  advice,  he 
adopted  the  profession  of  laAV,  and  set  about  preparing  himself  for  it.  He 
was  graduated  from  St.  John's  College,  Fordham,  with  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts,  and  from  the  University  of  New  York  Law  School,  in  1877,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  Upon  his  admission  to  the  Bar,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  civil  law,  and  made  a  specialty  of  realty,  corporation,  municipal 
and  surrogate  causes,  in  which  department  of  practice  he  soon  became  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  and  most  successful  lawyers  in  the  City.  His  high 
reputation  as  a  real  estate  lawyer  led  Mayor  Gilroy  to  appoint  him  a  Com- 
missioner of  Taxes,  from  which  position  he  retired  upon  the  advent  of  the 
Strong  administration  in  1895.  While  a  member  of  the  City  and  State  Bar 
Associations,  the  Democratic,  Catholic,  Manhattan  and  New  York  Athletic 
Clubs,  Mr.  Whalen  is  especially  fond  of  literature,  in  which  connection  he 
has  one  of  the  finest  private  libraries  in  the  City.  Socially  he  is  a  genial 
host,  and  frequently  entertains  his  friends  at  his  handsome  residence  at  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street  and  St.  Nicholas  Avenue.  He  has  always  been 
an  ardent  Tammany  Hall  Democrat,  and  participated  actively  in  the  deliber- 
ations of  the  organization.  He  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  political 
honors,  however,  and  his  appointment  by  Mayor  Van  Wyck  as  Corporation 
Counsel  was  a  somewhat  rare  case  of  the  office  seeking  the  man. 

Julius  L.  Wieman,  State  Senator  from  Brooklyn,  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
May  30,  1864,  and  received  a  common  school  education.  For  a  dozen  years 
he  was  connected  with  china  and  glass  importing  concerns,  and  then  entered 
the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  which  now  engages  his  attention.  He 
began  his  political  career  when  but  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  by  defeating 
Assemblyman  Joseph  Bender,  the  Democratic  nominee,  by  a  plurality  of 
3,090,  and  majority  over  all  of  2,455.  In  1894  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
Assembly,  receiving  5,790  votes  to  3,499  for  all  others.  In  1895  he  was 
elected  Senator  from  the  Ninth  Senatorial  District  (of  Brooklyn)  by  about  900 
plurality,  defeating  the  Kegular  Democratic  candidate,  and  also  Independent 
Republican,  E.  F.  Linton,  who  polled  1, 630  votes.  Among  the  notable  Acts 
introduced  by  Mr.  Wieman  as  an  Assemblyman  was  one  making  Federal 
office  holders  ineligible  to  State  offices.  In  the  introduction  of  new  bills,  and 
upon  the  committees  dealing  with  Commercial,  Navigation,  Military,  Excise, 
Corporation,  and  Insurance  questions,  he  found  ample  opportunity  for  the 
exercise  of  his  influence  upon  the  legislation  of  the  State.  He  originated  and 
secured  the  passage  of  the  bill  for  the  new  East  River  Bridge  from  Broadway 
to  Grand  Street,  and  secured  the  passage  of  the  bill  for  improving  Atlantic 


J.   H.  SUTPHIN. 


JOHN    WHALKX.  JULIUS    L.  WlEilAN. 


Administration  of  the  New  City. 


101 


Avenue.  He  also  introduced  bills  for  adjusting  claims,  indexing  mortgages, 
lowering  the  price  of  electric  lights,  increasing  the  number  of  factory  inspec- 
tors, taxing  street  railways,  making  appropriation  for  Forty-seventh  Regiment 
Armory,  incorporating  Kings  County  Inebriates'  Home,  and  providing  for  a 
statiie  of  General  G.  K.  Warren.  He  is  an  active  Eepublican,  carefully 
watching  over  the  interests  of  his  constituents,  and  did  not  favor  Consolida- 
tion. 

John  Harvey  Vincent  Arnold,  Surrogate  of  New  York,  who  was  bom  in  the 
City  of  New  York  in  July,  1839,  is  eminent  as  a  jurist,  lawyer,  and  littera- 
teur. He  was  educated  in  public  and  private  schools,  and  at  the  College  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  studied  law  with  Solomon  L.  Hull,  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  in  1860,  and  from  1861  to  1866  engaged  in  practice  as  an  associate 
with  his  preceptor.  Mr.  Arnold  early  attained  distinction  as  an  able  lawyer, 
and  ranks  among  the  leaders  of  the  legal  profession  in  this  City,  his  admin- 
istration of  the  Surrogate  Bench  proving  one  of  the  most  efficient  the  City  has 
ever  had.  Possessed  of  a  taste  for  literature  and  art,  Judge  Arnold  has 
diversified  his  professional  labors  by  collecting  rare  books,  autographs  and 
engravings,  in  which  he  is  regarded  a  connoisseur.  He  extended  De  Francis' 
Work  on  Old  New  York  until  it  reached  nine  volumes,  and  afterward  sold  it 
for  a  large  sum.  He  has  also  disposed  of  several  famous  art  collections, 
which  required  years  for  their  acquisition.  An  ardent  Democrat  in  politics. 
Judge  Arnold  was  a  Sachem  in  Tammany  Hall,  and  Vice-President  of  the 
National  Federation  of  Young  Men's  Democratic  Clubs.  He  is  accredited 
with  being  the  chief  organizer  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  the  City,  having 
revived  interest  in  that  club  when  it  had  died  out.  He  was  elected  the  first 
President  of  the  club,  but  resigned  upon  his  election  to  the  Bench,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Governor  Flower.  He  is  one  of  the  best-known  club  men  of  the 
Metropolis.  He  is  an  original  member  of  the  Players'  Club,  the  chief  ruler 
of  the  Thirteen  Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association,  the  Society  of 
Medical  Jurisprudence,  the  Lawyers,  Manhattan,  Democratic,  Reform,  Lotos, 
Commercial,  New  York  Athletic,  and  Knickerbocker  Athletic  clubs.  Judge 
Arnold  was  married  to  Josephine  A.  Ormsby,  of  New  York,  and  has  a  family 
of  four  children. 


CHAPTEE  V. 


THE  JUDICIAL  SYSTEM  OP  NEW  YORK,  WITH  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  METRO- 


'HE   participation  of  two  distinct   nationalities  in  the  settlement  of 


New  York  imparts  especial  interest  to  its  early  judicial  history. 


Upon  the  crude  but  just  and  efficient  system  of  legal  procedure 
established  by  the  original  Dutch  settlers,  were  superimposed  the  laws  and 
customs  of  the  English  conquerors.  In  the  neighboring  colonies  the  legal 
problems  of  that  period  were  exceedingly  simple.  Directly  or  indirectly,  they 
sprang  from  the  mere  fact  of  expansion — whether  in  wealth,  population  or 
territory.  The  conditions  were  different  in  New  York.  To  the  task  of  secur- 
ing permanence  and  prosperity — the  common  object  of  all  the  colonies — there 
was  added  the  far  more  troublesome  problem  of  racial  assimilation.  Karely 
has  this  problem,  frequently  insoluble,  and  always  embarrassing,  been  so 
satisfactorily  overcome.  The  supremacy  of  the  English  in  the  legal  affairs  of 
the  colony  doubtless  was  not  attained  without  friction,  for  the  Dutch  colonists 
were  plain-speaking,  direct  and  obstinate.  Separate  courts,  languages  and 
customs,  however,  one  by  one  disappeared,  until  the  absorption  was  complete, 
and  the  process  of  assimilation,  beginning  early  in  the  second  half  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  continued  practically  without  interruption.  It  is  for  the 
historian  to  determine  the  importance  and  extent  of  Dutch  influence  upon  the 
City  and  State  of  New  York.  It  is  clear  that  that  influence  was  considerable 
upon  the  judicial  system. 

The  Charter  granted  to  the  Dutch  West  India  Company  in  1621  was  the 
origin  of  the  first  orderly  government  possessed  by  the  Dutch  settlers.  The 
colonists  were  few  in  number,  and  as  machinery  of  government  presupposes 
inhabitants,  it  was  not  until  the  appointment  of  Peter  Minuit  as  Director 
General  in  1626  that  a  legal  procedure,  howciver  crude,  was  actually  insti- 
tuted. Subject  to  the  Charter,  its  amendments,  and  the  ordinances  of  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company,  all  legal  authority  was  vested  in  the  Director 
General  and  a  Council  of  five  appointed  by  himself.  This,  of  course,  included 
the  transaction  and  settlement  of  all  the  current  judicial  legislative  and  execu- 
tive affairs  of  the  Colony.  The  decisions  of  the  Director  General  were  final. 
They  were  subject  only  to  an  appeal  to  the  home  government.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  observe  that  the  first  government  of  New  Netherlands,  which  possessed 
the  forms  of  civilized  courts  of  law,  was  practically  a  one-man  power.  Per- 
haps it  is  hardly  fair  to  attribute  problems  of  like  character  in  modern  Man- 
hattan to  this  ancient  Dutch  precedent.  Under  a  just  and  tactful  ruler  few 
laws  were  needed.    The  community  was  small,  and  the  colonists  were  indus- 


POLITAN  BAR. 


The  Judicial  System  of  New  York. 


193 


trious  and  peaceable.  Although  the  records  of  that  period  are  no  longer  in 
existence,  rapid  increase  in  prosperity  indicates  that  the  administration  of 
Minuit  and  that  of  his  successor  Yan  Twiller,  covering  a  period  of  twelve 
years,  were,  in  the  main,  just  and  popular,  although  there  existed  but  one 
court  of  justice,  the  Director  General  and  his  Council.  The  first  important 
addition  to  the  laws  of  the  Colony  was  the  Charter  of  Freedoms  and  Exemp- 
tions, authorized  in  1628-29  by  the  home  government.  It  x^i'ovided  that  any 
member  of  the  "West  India  Company  (later  amended  to  include  any  inhabitant 
of  New  Netherlands)  who  should  plant  a  colony  of  fifty  persons  above  the  age 
of  fifteen  outside  the  limits  of  Manhattan  should  be  entitled  to  certain  mano- 
rial privileges  and  exemptions,  and  entitled  also  to  be  known  as  "Patroon. " 
Within  his  colony  this  master  or  Patroon  was  invested  with  subordinate  legal 
jurisdiction.  Subject  to  review  by  the  Director  General  and  Council,  he  was 
empowered  to  pronounce  judgment  in  person  or  by  deputy  for  civil  injuries 
and  crimes.  With  the  success  of  this  mild  Dutch  form  of  Feudalism  we  are 
not  here  concerned,  but  note  the  establishment  of  local  courts,  incidentally 
accomplished  by  it.  It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  although  only 
moderately  availed  of,  probably  no  other  enactment  of  the  Dutch  period  ex- 
erted such  a  lingering  and  persistent  infliience.  So  late  as  1859  it  was  an 
important  factor  in  a  lawsuit  against  the  Yan  Eensselaer  estate.  The  records 
of  the  courts  are  complete  from  the  beginning  of  Director  General  Keift's 
administration,  which  was  characterized  by  a  shameful  system  of  despotism 
and  disregard  of  the  colony's  judicial  rights.  Peter  Stuyvesant,  last  of  the 
Dutch  Directors,  was  appointed  to  office  in  1647.  His  appointment  was 
accompanied  by  a  change  in  the  Council.  Associated  with  the  new  Director 
General  was  a  Yice  Director  and  a  Schout  Fiscal,  who  together  constituted 
the  Council.  Soon  after  his  arrival,  Stuyvesant  organized  a  court  of  justice 
to  have  jurisdiction  over  all  civil  and  criminal  cases.  Over  this  the  Yice 
Director  was  appointed  to  act  as  presiding  judge,  and  all  decisions  were  sub- 
ject to  the  approval  or  veto  of  the  Director  himself.  Appeals  to  Holland  and 
local  discontent  led  to  concessions,  and  the  Director  finally,  in  1653,  estab- 
lished the  municipality  of  New  Amsterdam,  a  burgher  government  modeled 
upon  that  of  the  Free  Cities  of  Holland.  The  government  was  vested  in  the 
coiart  of  Schout,  Burgomasters  and  Schepens.  The  duties  of  the  Schout  (or 
Sheriff)  were  numerous  and  responsible.  He  was  public  prosecutor  and  col- 
lector. He  arrested  persons  accused  of  crime,  noted  the  evidence  as  the  trial 
progressed,  and  prevented  the  suppression  of  facts  on  either  side,  assisted  the 
prisoner  when  necessary,  and  kept  the  records  of  the  trial.  He  was  in  addi- 
tion Chief  of  Police  (or  General  Constable),  and  posted  all  placards,  resolu- 
tions and  ordinances.  The  multifarious  duties  of  this  official  lead  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  must  have  been  a  man  of  marvelous  energy  and  ability,  or 
else  to  the  more  reasonable  conclusion  that  the  placid  Dutch  colonists  seldom 
invoked  the  service  of  the  law.    There  wote  two  Burgomasters  and  five 


W4 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Scliepens.  Their  duties  were  clearly  defined  in  the  Mother  Country,  but,  in 
the  smaller  community  of  New  Amsterdam,  they  sat  an  one  body,  discharging 
legislative,  judicial  and  executive  functions.  These  magistrates  were 
appointed  by  the  Director  General  and  his  Council  to  hold  office  for  one  year. 
The  City  Tavern,  built  in  1642,  was  converted  into  a  stadthuys,  and  here  court 
was  held  every  two  weeks.  The  session  opened  by  the  ringing  of  a  bell  at 
nine  a.m.,  and  closed  in  the  same  manner  at  noon ;  but  if  unfinished  business 
required,  the  session  was  resumed  at  one  o'clock.  The  compensation  of 
Burgomasters  was  350  guilders,  that  of  Schepens,  250  guilders,  but  this  appears 
to  have  been  purely  a  theoretical  provision,  as  these  officials  actually  received 
no  compensation.  While  the  position  of  magistrate  was  thus  one  of  little 
emolument,  it  was  one  of  dignity  and  honor.  The  Burgomasters  and  Schepens 
of  New  Amsterdam  received  the  title  of  "my  lord,"  a  prominent  place  at  all 
ceremonies,  and  occupied  a  separate  place  at  church,  to  which  their  cushions 
were  carried  from  the  stadthuys  by  the  bellringer. 

The  name  of  the  Court  of  Burgomasters  and  Schepens  was  changed  by  the 
English  to  the  Mayor's  Court.  Long  afterward  it  became  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  of  the  City  and  County  of  New  York,  and  after  an  existence  of 
nearly  two  and  a  half  centuries  under  three  different  nationalities,  it  was 
abolished  by  the  adoption  of  the  new  State  Constitution  in  1894.  The  Court 
of  Burgomasters  and  Schepens,  or  Municipal  Court  of  Justice,  had  original 
jurisdiction  in  all  civil  cases  arising  in  the  City  of  New  Amsterdam,  and  later 
it  was  given  full  criminal  jurisdiction,  but  its  municipal  duties  were  long 
undefined.  Local  courts  were  also  established  on  Long  Island,  Staten  Island, 
in  Harlem,  and  elsewhere  in  the  colony.  With  the  institution  of  these  the 
judicial  system  of  the  Dutch  was  completed,  as  no  further  changes  occurred 
before  the  Colony  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  English.  During  this 
period  of  Dutch  supremacy,  a  body  of  local  laws  had  grown  up,  covering  the 
requirements  of  the  Colony,  and  which,  according  to  the  colonial  custom  of 
the  age,  conformed  to  the  laws  of  the  Mother  Country.  The  general  object  of 
the  Dutch  legal  procedure  appeared  to  be  to  reconcile  the  disputing  parties, 
or  secure  a  compromise.  Plaintiff  and  defendant  stated  their  case;  the 
Court  then  either  announced  a  decision  or  appointed  arbitrators  to  bring  the 
opposing  parties  together.  The  latter  plan  was  generally  successful.  Ap- 
peals from  the  arbitrators  were  infrequent.  When  a  case  was  entered,  the 
court  messenger,  at  the  request  of  the  plaintiff,  summoned  the  defendant, 
verbally,  to  appear  next  Court  Day.  If  he  failed  to  heed  this  summons,  he 
lost  the  right  to  object  to  jurisdiction,  and  incurred  costs.  If  the  next  Court 
Day  passed  without  appearance,  he  was  again  summoned.  If  this  was  dis- 
regarded, he  incurred  additional  expenses,  and  lost  the  right  to  adjourn  or 
delay.  Disregard  of  the  third  summons  destroyed  the  right  of  appeal  or 
review,  and  thereafter  appearance  could  be  compelled  by  force.  It  was  cus- 
tomary to  appear  upon  the  first  citation.    Judgments  were  payable  one  half 


The  Judicial  System  of  New  York. 


195 


in  fourteen  days,  and  the  remaining  half  at  one  month.  Judgment  sales  were 
occasionally  required,  in  which  case  the  messenger  of  the  Court,  bearing  his 
wand  of  office,  served  a  copy  of  the  sentence.  After  two  successive  visits, 
twenty-four  hours  apart,  the  goods  were  seized  and  sold  at  auction.  In  the 
case  of  real  estate,  it  was  customary  to  light  a  candle  at  the  beginning  of  the 
sale,  and  to  award  the  property  to  the  bidder  who  had  offered  the  highest 
figure  at  the  time  the  candle  burned  out.  The  Dutch  Courts  were  well 
adapted  to  the  simple  requirements  of  the  age  and  the  people.  At  the  close 
of  the  Dutch  period  the  Colony  consisted  of  three  cities  and  thirty  villages, 
containing  about  10,000  inhabitants.  The  cities  were  well  governed,  the  vil- 
lages flourishing.  With  the  exception  of  the  manors,  which  were  feudal 
tenures,  held  without  lordly  titles,  and  thus  a  revival  in  the  new  world  of  the 
then  expiring  feudal  system,  the  laws  were  wise,  intelligible  and  well  exe- 
cuted. The  rights  of  both  natives  and  aliens  were  carefully  safeguarded. 
Indeed,  in  many  respects,  the  Dutch  laws  were  far  in  advance  of  those  intro- 
duced by  the' English  in  1664. 

With  the  passing  of  Dutch  ownership,  entirely  new  legal  conditions  arose. 
The  Colony  became  the  property  of  James,  Duke  of  York  and  Albany,  under  a 
patent  from  his  brother  Charles  11. ,  and  the  government  at  once  became 
proprietary.  The  Duke,  as  Lord  Proprietor,  held  the  province  as  a  fief  of 
the  crown.  At  his  pleasure  he  could  establish  laws  and  courts,  limited  only 
by  the  fact  that  they  must  not  be  contrary  to  the  laws  of  England.  The 
right  of  final  appeal  to  the  crown  also  existed.  The  actual  government  was 
delegated  to  a  Deputy  Governor,  and  a  Council  selected  either  by  the  Lord 
Proprietor  or  his  Deputy.  Their  legislation  was  valid  until  confirmed  or 
otherwise.  The  commission  of  the  first  Deputy  Governor,  Colonel  Eichard 
Nicolls  and  the  instructions  also  furnished  him,  constitute  the  first  legal  in- 
strument of  government  under  the  English.  A  code  of  English  laws  was 
speedily  prepared  under  the  authority  conferred  by  the  Commission  of  the 
Deputy  Governor.  It  was  promulgated  at  a  Convention  of  delegates  from  the 
various  towns  held  at  Hempstead,  February  28,  1665.  This  is  known  as  the 
"Duke's  Laws,"  or  "Nicolls'  Code."  It  regulated  the  tenure  and  convey- 
ance of  property,  wills,  actions  for  debt,  slander,  and  case  trials  by  jury,  the 
relation  of  master  and  servant,  husband  and  wife,  parent  and  child,  etc.  The 
cities  and  villages  were  at  once  renamed.  A  petty  court  was  created  in  each 
town,  composed  of  a  constable  and  two  overseers,  and  a  court  of  sessions  for 
each  of  three  ridings,  into  which,  for  this  purpose,  Staten  Island  and  the 
English  settlements  on  Long  Island,  and  in  Westchester  and  East  Chester 
were  divided.  The  Justices  of  the  Peace  were  to  hold  a  court  of  sessions  in 
each  riding  three  times  a  year,  and  once  a  year  they  sat  in  New  York  with  the 
Governor  and  his  council  as  the  Court  of  Assizes.  In  capital  cases,  unless 
the  Court  of  Assizes  was  to  sit  within  two  months  after  information,  the 
Governor  and  Council  issued  a  Commission  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  to  facilitate 


196 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


trial.  The  Court  of  Assizes  possessed  general  jurisdiction  at  law  and  in 
equity  where  the  matter  involved  upward  of  £20.  It  was  in  fact  a 
legislative  body  and  had  jurisdiction  over  the  vast  extent  of  territory  in- 
cluded between  the  Penobscot  Eiver  and  the  Delaware  Capes.  It  existed  from 
1665  to  1683.  The  government  of  the  City  of  New  York  was  also  changed  to 
conform  to  English  customs.  Burgomasters,  Schout,  and  Schepens,  gave  way 
to  five  Aldermen  and  a  Sheriff,  appointed  by  the  Deputy  Governor.  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  the  practical  operation  of  these  radical  changes  was  slow 
at  first.  Although  the  English  were  now  fast  increasing,  the  Dutch  inhabi- 
tants were,  of  course,  in  the  large  majority.  They  were  men  of  sturdy  inde- 
pendence, and  doubtless  yielded  only  by  degrees.  For  a  time  the  Nicolls' 
Code  was  not  enforced  in  the  Dutch  portions  of  the  Province.  In  New  York, 
however,  the  court  proceedings  formerly  kept  in  Dutch,  then  in  both  Dutch 
and  English,  began  to  be  kept  wholly  in  English,  and  within  a  decade,  in 
spite  of  the  temporary  lapse  into  Dutch  ownership  in  1673,  the  English  laws, 
language,  and  customs  had  become  firmly  established.  From  a  legal  stand- 
point, the  two  decades  which  followed  were  noteworthy  for  constant  agitations 
for  popular  representation  and  government.  The  Ducal  proprietorship  had 
merged  into  a  crown  colony  on  the  accession  of  the  Lord  Proprietor  to  the 
throne  of  England  as  James  II.,  and  it  so  remained  under  succeeding  reigns. 
The  judicial  establishment  was  remodeled  in  1691.  The  courts  were  recog- 
nized and  extended,  and  out  of  this  Act  grew  the  present  Supreme  Court  of 
New  York.  Although  the  legal  conditions  of  the  Colony  varied  somewhat 
during  the  administrations  of  the  different  governors,  as  their  commissions 
formed  the  constitution  of  the  colony  for  the  time  being,  yet  the  administra- 
tion of  justice  remained  about  the  same.  Early  in  the  English  administration, 
the  City  was  divided  into  six  wards,  and  by  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  government  was  vested  in  a  Mayor,  Kecorder,  six  Aldermen  and 
six  Assistant  Aldermen,  forming  the  Common  Council.  There  was  now  grow- 
ing up  in  the  City  a  distinct  body  of  laws.  English  in  origin,  but  decidedly 
influenced  by  the  fairness  and  liberality  of  the  Dutch.  The  forms  of  judicial 
procedure  began  now  to  assume  a  more  orderly  and  scientific  form.  With  increas- 
ing wealth  it  became  possible  for  men  of  standing  and  education  to  devote  their 
time  and  energies  to  the  profession  of  the  law.  This  resulted  in  a  capable 
Bench,  and  a  Bar  of  high  character  and  attainment.  The  important  trials  by 
jury  which  occurred  early  in  the  eighteenth  century  were  notable  for  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  juries,  and  their  preservation  of  the  liberties  of  the  people, 
in  which  respect  they  were  decidedly  in  advance  of  the  jury  trials  of  the  age 
elsewhere. 

The  positive  laws  of  the  Province  of  New  York  prior  to  the  Revolution  were 
the  English  statxites  in  which  the  Colony  was  mentioned  or  included ;  the  Acts 
passed  before  New  York  possessed  a  Legislature,  confirmatory  or  declaratory 
of  the  common  law,  and  the  Acts  of  the  Legislature.    It  will  be  seen  that  the 


llie  Judicial  System  of  New  York, 


197 


uncertainty  concerning  the  application  of  these  statutes  and  the  propensity  of 
the  judges  to  apply  such  as  they  saw  fit,  exposed  the  Colonies  to  much  con- 
troversy and  many  arbitrary  decisions.  Later  a  general  rule  was  observed 
limiting  the  application  of  statutes  to  those  passed  prior  to  the  conquest  by 
the  English,  and  which  were  applicable  to  the  Colony.  By  this  time  the 
Dutch  jurisprudence  had  been  susbtantially  displaced  by  the  English,  though 
the  influence  of  the  former  was  felt  in  many  vague,  undefined  ways.  Indeed, 
it  is  not  improper  to  assert  that  the  strenuous  watchfulness  of  the  citizens  of 
New  York  for  every  detail  of  their  liberties,  and  the  remarkable  independence 
of  juries  in  spite  of  oflScial  pressure,  were  the  direct  result  of  Dutch  influence 
and  character.  For  a  century  after  the  conquest,  Holland,  not  England,  was 
the  leader  and  exponent  of  justice  and  civil  and  religious  liberty.  It  was  not 
until  the  English  Government  had  heeded  the  severe  lesson  of  the  American 
Eevolution,  that  it  considered  the  liberty  of  the  individual,  civil  and  religious, 
which  the  sturdy  Dutchmen  had  so  long  practiced.  In  all  the  courts  of  the 
Colony  trial  by  jury  was  within  the  right  of  the  parties  interested.  The 
judicial  establishment  of  the  Colony  was  practically  that  of  the  Mother 
Country  in  miniature.  The  changes  which  thereafter  occurred  (from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  eighteenth  century  until  1776)  were  rather  in  the  direction  of 
steady  growth,  dignity  and  importance,  than  involving  any  noteworthy 
changes.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Eevolution  the  courts  of  New  York  were  the 
Justices'  Courts,  Sessions,  Common  Pleas,  Supreme  Court,  Admiralty,  Pre- 
rogative Court,  Governor  and  Council,  and  Court  of  Chancery.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  Province  was  less  than  200,000.  There  were  twelve  Counties,  of 
which  Albany  was  the  most  populous.  During  the  Eevolution  which  now  fol- 
lowed, the  judicial  system  of  the  Province  was  maintained  after  a  halting 
fashion  within  the  British  lines,  but  in  the  great  Court  of  Destiny  the  case  had 
been  decided  against  the  Eoyal  Governor  and  his  judges.  There  had  come 
into  existence  a  new  legal  fabric  knowoi  as  the  State  of  New  York.  It  was 
founded  on  the  theory  that  all  power  emanates  from  the  people,  not  the  king. 
A  convention  of  able  citizens  had  formulated  a  State  Constitution,  and  after  a 
little  more  than  a  century  of  ownership,  the  rule  of  the  English  king,  like 
that  of  Holland  before  it,  passed  from  Manhattan  Island.  The  century  of 
British  control  had  not  been  marked  by  conspicuous  justice,  efficiency  or  prog- 
ress. It  is  not  unlikely  that  had  the  Dutch  remained  in  possession  of  New 
York  until  1775,  the  City  would  have  been  much  in  advance  of  its  condition 
under  the  English  at  that  time.  What  the  effect  of  a  prosperous,  well-governed 
Dutch  Colony  would  have  been  upon  the  other  settlements  along  the  coast  in 
1776  cannot  now  be  even  surmised.  It  was  certainly  most  fortunate  for  the 
future  Union  that  the  Colony  had  been  secured  and  misgoverned  by  the  Eng- 
lish. When  the  triumphant  Dutch  decided  to  hold  Surinam  and  voluntarily 
ceded  New  York  to  Charles  the  Second,  they  may  have  made  possible  by  that 
act  the  success  of  the  future  revolution  of  the  colonies. 


108 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


The  new  State  Constitution,  adopted  April  20,  1777,  dealt  principally  with 
the  pressing  requirements  of  the  change  of  government.  A  new  court,  that 
of  Impeachment  and  Errors,  was  erected.  It  is  probable  that  the  framers  of 
the  Constitution  of  '77  believed  that  they  were  actually  continuing  the  former 
common  law  and  equity  by  virtue  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Section  of  the  instrument 
continuing  the  former  common  law  of  the  Province.  Certain  it  is  the  high 
courts  were  not  expressly  continued,  nor  indeed  were  they  directly  referred  to. 

The  continued  existence  of  these  laws,  therefore,  was  really  based,  not  upon 
State  authority,  but  upon  that  of  the  king,  and  not  until  1779  did  the  Legis- 
lature begin  the  task  of  reforming  the  laws,  thus  inherited  from  the  Provin- 
cial Government.  In  that  year  the  laws  of  primogeniture  and  those  granting 
religious  iirivileges  and  discriminations  were  repealed.  In  1788  two  Com- 
missioners, Jones  and  Varick,  were  appointed  to  collect  and  reduce  to  proper 
form  the  English,  Provincial  and  State  laws,  actually  forming  the  laws  of  the 
State,  and  the  result  of  their  labors  was  the  only  comprehensive  digest  in 
existence  until  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  system  of 
District  Attorneys  was  created  by  the  Act  of  1796,  dividing  the  State  into 
Districts,  and  authorizing  assistants  to  the  Attorney  General  to  be  public 
prosecutors. 

At  the  close  of  the  century  the  changes  in  general  were  very  few.  Indeed 
the  power  and  privilege  of  the  Chancellor  and  Judges,  inherited  from  the  royal 
governors,  was  so  great  that,  taken  in  connection  with  lingering  manorial 
rights,  large  landed  estates,  and  a  property  qualification  for  electors,  the 
actual  advance  in  liberty  and  democracy  was  more  theoretical  than  real.  The 
corporate  existence  of  New  York  City  was  based  on  the  Dongan  Charter  of 
1686,  the  Confirmatory  Act  of  1708,  the  Charter  of  1730,  and  the  State  Con- 
stitution of  1777.  The  City  Government  now  consisted  of  a  Mayor,  Recorder, 
seven  Aldermen,  and  seven  Assistant  Aldermen.  The  Mayor,  Sheriff  and 
Coroner,  were  appointed  annually  by  the  Council  of  Appointment  of  the 
State,  a  custom  which  continued  until  the  abolition  of  the  Council  in  1821. 
The  Eecorder  was  appointed  by  the  Council  at  its  pleasure.  In  1831  the 
Eecorder  ceased  to  have  a  voice  in  the  City  Government,  and  became  merely  a 
judicial  ofiicer.  The  election  of  the  Mayor  by  popular  vote  did  not  begin 
until  1834.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  courts  of  New  York  were  the 
Court  of  Chancery,  the  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature,  Mayor's  Court,  Court 
of  Sessions,  Court  of  Probates  and  Court  of  Admiralty.  The  latter  ceased 
to  exist  with  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in  1789.  The  business 
of  the  Court  of  Chancery  was  very  small.  It  was  never  popular,  and  ceased  to 
exist  in  1847.  The  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature,  which  had  been  established  in 
1691,  consisted  of  a  Chief  Justice  and  two  Judges,  who  held  ofiice  during  good 
behavior,  until  the  age  of  sixty.  Any  member  of  the  Supreme  Court,  together 
with  the  Mayor,  Recorder  and  Aldermen,  or  any  three  of  them,  constituted  a 
Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  to  be  opened  for  criminal  cases  at  the  same  time 


TJie  Judicial  System  of  New  York. 


199 


as  the  Circuit  Court,  and  to  continue  till  its  business  was  despatched.  The 
Mayor's  Court  has  been  already  referred  to,  having  had  its  origin  in  the  early 
days  of  Dutch  supremacy.  It  was  composed  of  the  Mayor,  Recorder  and 
Aldermen  or  any  three  of  them,  of  whom  the  Mayor  or  Recorder  should 
always  be  one.  The  Court  of  General  Sessions  was  similarly  constituted. 
The  Court  of  Probate  held  original  jurisdiction  in  cases  of  decease  oxii  of  the 
State,  or  of  the  decease  of  non-residents  within  the  State,  and  appellate 
jurisdiction  over  the  Surrogates.  This  court,  which  had  been  established  in 
1778,  was  abolished  in  1823,  its  functions  having  been  absorbed  by  the 
Surrogates.  The  Mayor,  Recorder  and  Aldermen  possessed  the  power  of  Jus- 
tices of  the  Peace,  and  there  were,  in  addition,  five  other  Justices.  By  the 
Constitution  of  1821  the  Council  of  Revision,  consisting  of  the  Governor, 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  Chancellor,  was  abolished,  and  the 
Council  of  Appointment  shared  the  same  fate.  Many  minor  offices  were 
made  elective,  the  Chancellor  and  Judges  appointed  by  the  Governor,  the 
powers  of  the  Supreme  Court  were  circumscribed,  circuits  abolished,  and  the 
circuit  and  chamber  duty  of  the  Supreme  Court  Justices  transferred  to  a  new 
class  of  circuit  courts  and  judges.  Even  under  the  Constitution  of  1821  the 
practice,  both  in  law  and  equity,  remained  substantially  that  of  England  with 
modifications.    In  1826  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  was  made  elective. 

The  changes  which  now  took  place  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  were  not 
reformatory  of  the  courts,  but  of  practice,  and  toward  a  simplification  of  the 
laws.  One  by  one  the  provincial  methods  and  practice,  as  well  as  the  laws 
which  had  grown  up  in  the  century  of  English  domination,  were  abolished  or 
superseded.  The  struggle  which  led  up  to  and  culminated  in  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1816  was  an  interesting  one.  The  opposing  interests,  arrayed,  as  is 
ever  the  case,  as  progressives  or  radicals,  against  conservatives,  waged  an 
exciting  contest,  but  the  victory  for  the  progressive  element  which  resulted, 
brought  many  changes  in  the  legal  system  of  the  City  and  State.  These 
changes  were  both  important  and  far-reaching.  The  Chancery  Court  was 
merged  in  the  Supreme  Court ;  a  new  Appellate  Court,  called  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  was  established,  and  the  old  Court  of  Errors  was  abolished.  Four 
Justices  of  the  new  Court  of  Appeals  were  elected,  and  four  were  selected 
from  the  class  of  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  having  the  shortest  time  to 
serve.  The  new  court  was  divided  into  eight  districts,  of  which  New  York 
City  was  one.  This  change  was  a  radical  one,  but  very  beneficial.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  the  new  Supreme  Court  of  General  Jurisdiction  were,  through  the 
Judiciary  Act  of  1847  and  the  Code  of  Procedure  of  1848,  much  simplified  by 
the  establishment  of  a  laniform  system  of  pleading,  evidence  and  trial  in  all 
actions  in  the  new  court,  whether  such  actions  were  formerly  denominated 
legal  or  equitable.  In  addition  to  the  new  Supreme  Court,  Courts  of  Record 
were  created.  These,  whether  thus  established  or  by  special  acts,  are  known 
as  Civil,  City  or  Superior  Courts.    Criminal  courts  for  counties  and  munici- 


200 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


palities  were  added,  such  as  Courts  of  Sessions,  and  Recorders'  Courts. 
Certain  small  courts,  not  of  record,  were  also  erected,  known  as  Police  or 
Justices'  Courts.  The  Constitution  of  1846,  and  the  Acts  thereunder,  and  the 
Code  of  Procedure  passed  in  1848,  are  also  notable  for  the  reforms  in  plead- 
ing and  practice  which  they  instituted.  Prior  to  adoption  of  this  Constitu- 
tion, the  practice  and  proceedings  had  been  antiquated  survivals  of  the  Col- 
onial and  English  Courts  and  customs.  The  new  Constitution  directed  the 
appointment  of  a  Commission  to  revise,  simplify  and  abridge  the  forms  and 
proceedings  of  the  Courts  of  Justice  in  the  State.  Largely  through  the  efforts 
and  labor  of  David  Dudley  Field,  the  laws  of  New  York  were  codified,  and  for 
the  most  part  adopted,  though  legislative  amendment  and  failure  to  fully 
appreciate  the  value  of  Mr.  Field's  labors  and  those  of  his  associates,  left 
certain  departments  incomplete.  The  value  and  far-reaching  results  of  Mr. 
Field's  work  can  hardly  be  estimated.  The  Court  of  Appeals  was  reorganized 
by  the  Laws  of  1869  and  1870,  it  now  having  a  Chief  Judge  and  six  Associate 
Judges  elected  by  the  State  at  large  for  the  term  of  fourteen  years.  The 
courts  then  remained  practically  unchanged  until  the  adoption  of  the  Consti- 
tution of  1894,  but  a  change  of  procedure  in  the  courts  was  made  by  the 
adoption  of  the  Code  of  Procedure,  the  Code  of  Civil  Procedure,  a  Criminal 
Code  and  Penal  Code.  Prior  to  the  Constitution  of  1894  the  courts  of  law  in 
the  City  of  New  York  were  the  Supreme  Court,  Superior  Court,  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  and  City  Court  (at  one  time  called  the  Marine  Court). 
Each  had  a  general  term,  to  which  appeals  from  orders  and  the  judgments 
of  their  own  court  were  taken.  Appeals  from  the  general  term  of  the  City 
Court,  could  in  certain  instances  be  taken  to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
Appeals  from  the  District  courts  were  taken  to  the  general  term  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas.  Appeals  from  Supreme  Court  general  term  were  taken  to 
Court  of  Appeals.  By  the  new  Constitution  the  Superior  Court  and  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  were  abolished,  and  the  judges  and  the  business  thereof  trans- 
ferred to  the  Supreme  Court.  All  actions,  therefore,  that  were  pending  before 
these  courts  were  transferred  to  the  Supreme  Court.  Two  appellate  courts 
were  created,  the  appellate  division,  and  the  appellate  term  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  To  the  appellate  term  appeals  are  taken  from  City  and  Municipal 
Courts.  To  the  appellate  division  appeals  are  taken  from  Supreme  and 
Criminal  Courts.  The  power  of  the  appellate  division  was  increased  over 
that  of  the  old  general  term,  and  appeals  from  it  to  the  Court  of  Appeals  were 
greatly  limited.  The  Judges  of  the  abolished  Superior  Court  and  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  were  transferred  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench  for  the  remain- 
der of  their  terms,  and  by  this  change  the  Bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  was 
increased  to  twenty-two.  In  brief,  by  the  Constitution  of  1894  the  burdens 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals  were  lightened,  the  Supreme  Court  was  increased  by 
the  addition  of  twelve  new  Justices,  three  in  the  first  District,  three  in  the 
second,  and  one  each  in  the  others.    The  State  was  divided  into  four  depart- 


Tlie  Judicial  System  of  New  York. 


201 


ments,  of  which  New  York  County  was  the  first,  to  take  the  place  of  the  nine 
general  terms  of  the  Supreme  and  Superior  Courts.  It  should  be  noted  that 
the  tendency  of  the  State  Constitutions  has  been  to  refer  more  and  more  to 
the  people.  At  the  outset  the  mere  declaration  that  the  people  were  supreme 
was  the  most  radical  of  assertions — a  statement  yet  to  be  proved.  Step  by 
step,  as  the  people  became  more  confident  in  the  stability  of  popular  govern- 
ment, and  more  convinced  of  their  own  ultimate  authority,  the  courts  were 
made  nearer  to  the  public,  and  more  dependent  upon  popular  will,  by  an 
elective  judiciary  (according  to  allotted  districts),  thus  making  the  Judge  on 
the  Bench  actually  as  representative  as  the  legislator,  the  Mayor  or  the  Gover- 
nor. The  adoption  of  the  Charter  creating  the  Consolidated  City  of  New 
York  made  fewer  changes  in  the  judicial  establishment  of  the  metropolis  than 
might  have  been  expected.  The  Supreme  Court  was  not  changed.  Municipal 
Courts  were  substituted  for  District  Courts,  and  jurisdiction  was  increased 
from  $250  to  $500.  They  were  also  arranged  to  cover  the  whole  city  by  dis- 
tricts. By  the  Consolidation  Act  Magistrates  of  New  York  became  Magis- 
trates of  the  City  of  New  York  of  the  First  Division,  and  Police  Justices  of 
Brooklyn  became  City  Magistrates  of  the  Second  Division  (Brooklyn),  etc. 
The  Courts  of  the  City  are  as  follows : 

LAW  COUKTS. 

Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme  Court,  seven  Justices. 
Supreme  Court,  special  and  trial  terms,  seventeen  Justices. 
Appellate  Term  of  the  Supreme  Court,  tried  by  three  Supreme  Court  Jus- 
tices, designated  by  the  Appellate  Division. 
Surrogate's  Court,  two  Surrogates. 
City  Court,  six  Justices. 

The  Municipal  Courts  of  the  City  of  New  York :  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  two 
Districts;  Borough  of  Manhattan,  eleven  Districts;  Borough  of  Brooklyn, 
five  Districts ;  Borough  of  Richmond,  two  Districts.  The  jurisdiction  of  these 
municipal  courts  extends  to  civil  actions  and  proceedings,  including  action 
against  a  domestic  corporation,  or  foreign  corporation  having  an  office  in  New 
York.  The  limit  of  an  action  in  these  courts  is  $500.  Appeals  from  judg- 
ments of  the  Municipal  Court  may  be  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court,  where 
they  are  heard  at  the  appellate  term. 

CKIMINAL  COUETS. 

Part  I.  Trial  Term,  Supreme  Court. 

Court  of  General  Sessions  held  by  the  City  Judge  (Chief  Justice),  the 
Judges  of  the  Court  of  General  Sessions,  four  in  number,  and  the  Recorder. 

Court  of  Special  Sessions:  Borough  of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx,  five 
Justices ;  Boroughs  of  Brooklyn,  Queens  and  Richmond,  five  Justices. 

City  Magistrates:  Boroughs  of  Manhattan  and  Bronx,  twelve  Justices, 


202  New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 

seven  Districts ;  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  six  Magistrates ;  Borough  of  Queens, 
three  Magistrates ;  Borough  of  Kichmond,  two  Magistrates. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  meager  records  of  the  Dutch  period  do  not  give 
a  better  picture  of  Dirck  Van  Schelluyn,  first  member  of  the  "Bar  of  New 
York."  His  arrival  in  the  colony  was  not  ill-timed.  The  Court  of  Schout, 
Burgomasters  and  Schepens  had  been  organized  for  several  months,  and  the 
community,  which  had  been  in  existence  for  twenty  years,  surely  had  enough 
legal  business  to  support  one  lawyer.  It  was  some  such  argument  as  this 
that  brought  Van  Schelluyn,  a  notary  of  The  Hague,  over  the  water,  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  new  world.  A  like  argument  has  taken  many  a  young  lawyer 
since  then  across  the  continent,  though  they  rarely  find  themselves,  like  Van 
Schelluyn,  a  legal  monopoly.  Arrived  in  New  Amsterdam,  the  Dutch  notary 
appears  to  have  hung  out  his  sign  and  waited  for  clients,  something  the  legal 
fraternity  has  done  ever  since.  Moreover,  like  many  of  those  who  have  fol- 
lowed, he  waited  in  vain ;  but  Dirck  Van  Schelluyn,  being  the  only  lawyer  in 
the  little  town  of  New  Amsterdam,  had  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  if  he  had  no  clients  then  there  were  clients  to  have.  The  fact  was 
the  inhabitants  welcomed  the  lawyer  with  placid  indifference.  He  was  merely 
an  old  world  luxurj'.  They  had  organized  courts  on  the  remarkable  principle 
(nowhere  else  followed,  and  soon  to  be  abandoned  on  Manhattan  Island)  that 
the  object  of  an  appeal  to  law  was  to  reach  a  speedy  and  amicable  settlement. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  is  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at  that  Dirck  Van 
Schelluyn,  notary  of  Holland,  found  his  monopolistic  position  most  uncom- 
fortable. There  is  a  tradition  that  the  city  fathers  objected  to  Van  Schelluyn's 
practicing  law,  because  as  there  was  only  one  lawyer,  it  was  not  just  to  the 
side  that  failed  to  retain  him.  Such  were  his  necessities,  however,  that 
doubtless  he  would  have  pleaded  both  sides  gladly  for  very  moderate  com- 
pensation. The  difficulty  lay  deeper  than  that  for  Van  Schelluyn.  The 
town  of  New  Amsterdam  had  no  use  for  one  lawyer.  Two  would  have  been 
merely  a  waste  of  Dutch  legal  acumen.  He  therefore  expended  his  remain- 
ing resources  for  an  estate  at  the  Dutch  settlement  at  Midwout,  Long  Island, 
and  with  commendable  energy  and  versatility  the  unsuccessful  notary  took 
to  farming.  Many  a  lawyer  since  then  has  done  the  same  thing.  In  fact 
there  appears  to  have  been  a  good  bit  of  human  nature  about  Dirck  Van 
Schelluyn,  late  of  The  Hague.  In  1655  Van  Schelluyn  was  appointed  bailiff, 
and  resided  for  a  time  in  the  Stadthuys.  In  1660  he  removed  to  Kensse- 
laerwyck,  of  which  Colony  or  manor  he  was  appointed  secretary.  There  are 
surely  few  figures  in  the  shadowy  and  far-away  Dutch  era  of  Manhattan  so 
picturesque  and  interesting  as  the  first  lawyer  of  New  Amsterdam.  The 
change  from  Dutch  control  to  English  brought  a  complete  change  of  pro- 
cedure, and  before  many  decades  there  appears  to  have  grown  up  a  group  of 
so-called  lawyers,  men  who  were  highly  respected  in  attainment,  though  it 
is  likely  that  like  Van  Schelluyn  they  did  not  follow  the  law  exclusively,  but 


Famous  Lawyers  of  the  Last  Century. 


205 


by  reason  oi  superior  ability,  shrewdness,  and  command  of  language,  were 
fitted  to  act  as  pleaders.  This  was  the  situation  during  the  early  English 
period,  for  the  records  of  the  Assize  and  Mayor's  court  mention  ten  or  twelve 
names  of  attorneys.  The  years  that  followed  were  ones  of  increase  and  pros- 
perity for  the  legal  profession.  By  1775  the  Bar  of  New  York  numbered 
nearly  100.  It  appears  to  have  led  the  profession  in  all  the  other  Colonies 
in  influence,  standing,  and  attainment.  Indeed,  so  powerful  had  become  the 
political  influence  of  the  lawyers  of  New  York  that  it  was  made  the  subject 
of  a  special  letter  by  Lieutenant-Governor  Golden  to  Lord  Halifax.  At  that 
period  the  lawyers  of  New  York  were  socially  as  well  as  politically  the  most 
influential  class.  It  was  fortunate  for  the  success  of  the  Kevolution  that 
these  men  were  ardent  patriots.  Not  only  did  many  of  them  unhesitatingly 
jeopardize  their  extensive  estates  by  espousing  the  rebel  cause,  but  they  were 
the  teachers  and  inspired  by  example  the  younger  men  of  that  daj',  such  as 
Georg©  Clinton,  the  two  Livingstons,  Eobert  and  Peter,  Gouverneur  Morris, 
Egbert  Benson,  and  Alexander  Hamilton.  These  men  became  in  due  time 
not  only  famous  at  the  Bar  of  New  York,  but  also  in  the  political  and  legal 
history  of  the  young  republic.  It  is  interesting  to  note,  however,  that  the 
judges  of  that  period,  Thomas  Devine  Jones,  Horsmanden,  Ludlow  and 
Hicks,  all  remained  loyal  to  the  king.  The  attorneys  were  men  of  simple 
demeanor  and  habits.  Neither  judges  nor  practitioners  wore  distinctive  garb. 
The  usual  preparation  for  the  law  was  a  college  education  and  three  year? 
apprenticeship,  or,  without  college,  seven  years  under  an  attorney.  License 
to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  was  granted  by  the  Governor  upon  the 
recommendation  of  the  Chief  Justice.  At  the  close  of  the  Kevolution  the 
attorneys  of  New  York  probably  numbered  a  little  more  than  100. 
The  list  contained  such  famous  names  as  Eobert  Morris,  Abraham  de  Peys- 
ter,  John  Jay,  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman,  Aaron  Burr,  Alexander  Hamilton, 
Eobert  Troup,  Edward  Livingston,  James  Kent,  Brockholst  Livingston,  and 
John  Lawrence.  By  an  Act  of  February  20,  1787,  no  person  was  to  be  "ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  of  any  court  unless  he  had  been  brought  up  in  that  court, 
or  was  otherwise  well  practiced  in  soliciting  causes,  and  had  been  found  by 
his  dealings  to  be  skillful  and  honest."  The  commanding  position  occupied 
in  this  community  by  the  Bar  of  New  York  was  steadily  maintained  for  the 
first  half  of  the  present  century.  The  courts  were  still  hedged  about  by 
English  customs  and  precedents,  and  the  legal  profession  was  one  of  respon- 
sibility, dignity  and  honor. 

In  an  address  delivered  by  Benjamin  D.  Silliman,  Esq.,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  his  admission  to  the  Bar,  he  recalled  among  many 
others  the  names  of  "Egbert  Beuson,  Chancellor  Kent,  his  son  William  Kent, 
Morgan  Lewis,  Aaron  Burr,  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman,  Jacob  Morton,  Edward 
Griswold,  Jacob  Eadcliffe,  Eichard  Varick,  and  Joseph  Strong — men  of 
study,  learning,  toil ;  men  of  pride,  ambition,  hope ;  men  who  largely  shared 


206 


New  York:  'The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


tlie  public  attention  and  respect.  As  I  remember  the  ancient  New  York 
lawyers  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  there  was  much  more  of  stateliness,  reserve 
and  formality,  than  prevail  at  this  day.  Lawyers  had  time  then  to  acquire 
and  cultivate  graces  and  accomplishments ;  courts  and  juries  and  audiences 
had  time  to  listen  to  and  delight  in  them,  but  as  business  increased,  and  time 
became  more  precious,  eloquence  diminished,  and  nowadays  it  is  rarely 
heard  in  Court.  It  was  easier  to  become  a  thoroughly  learned  lawyer  in 
those  earlier  days  than  it  is  now.  There  was  less  of  law  to  be  learned  and 
more  of  time  in  which  to  learn  it.  The  world  was  not  in  such  a  hurry  then. 
Kent  and  Hamilton  and  Spencer  and  Burr  and  Harrison  and  Wells  and 
Emmet  and  Hoffman  and  Jones,  and  their  contemporaries,  had  few  books  to 
study.  Their  libraries  could  almost  stand  on  their  mantels.  "When  Chan- 
cellor Kent  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1785  there  was  not  a  solitary  volume 
of  reports  of  any  court  in  this  country." 

The  Constitution  of  1846,  the  revision  of  the  statutes,  the  Code  of  Pro- 
cedure, and  the  Code  of  Civil  Procedure  brought  far-reaching  changes  in  the 
legal  fraternity  as  well  as  in  the  laws  themselves.  Old  customs  and  rules 
were  swept  away.  Judicial  positions  were  made  elective,  admission  to  the 
Bar  much  easier,  and  the  old  order  at  length  gave  place  to  new.  The  mid- 
century  therefore  marks  the  division  of  the  old  Bar  with  its  stately  manners 
and  outworn  colonial  traditions  from  the  modern  Bar  with  its  progressive  and 
matter-of-fact  methods.  Doubtless  much  of  the  fine  flavor  of  courtly  man- 
ners, dignity  and  deliberateness  has  been  lost,  but  the  compensations  in  this 
age  of  practical  activity  have  been  many  and  overbalancing.  It  is  not  essen- 
tial to  follow  the  growth  and  expansion  of  the  Bar.  Closely  allied  with  the 
advancing  fortunes  of  the  Metropolis,  it  waited  upon  the  growth  of  the  City 
in  population  and  wealth.  Less  of  a  leader  than  of  old,  it  reflected  the  politi- 
cal standards  and  moralities  of  the  successive  periods  as  they  passed.  Never, 
however,  without  many  examples  of  untarnished  reputation,  of  great  attain- 
ment and  charming  personality.  Of  this  period  were  Charles  O'Conor, 
Benjamin  F.  Butler,  S.  J.  Tilden,  Eoscoe  Conkling,  David  Dudley  Field, 
and  William  M.  Evarts. 

Charles  O'Conor,  who  has  probably  never  been  excelled  in  learning  and 
ability  at  the  New  York  Bar,  was  a  man  of  striking  personality.  He  was 
born  in  New  York  City,  January  22,  1804,  and  died  in  Nantucket,  Mass., 
May  12,  1884.  He  was  erect  in  figure,  clad  unvaryingly  in  black.  At  an 
early  age  his  hair  turned  gray,  and  his  intellectual  face  was  fringed  with 
gray  whiskers.  His  eyes  were  gray ;  his  features  mobile,  expressing  at  one 
moment  scorn,  and  again  humor  or  sympathy.  As  a  pleader  Mr.  O'Conor 
possessed  consummate  ability.  In  the  most  abstruse  phases  of  the  law  he 
was  so  skilled  that  it  was  commonly  said  that  he  could  have  arisen  in  West- 
minster or  before  the  Master  of  the  Eolls  with  a  brief  which  an  attorney 
or  solicitor  might  then  and  there  have  placed  in  his  hands,  and  pleaded  with 


Famous  Lawyers  of  the  Last  Generation. 


207 


entire  confidence  of  success.  Mr.  O' Conor  possessed  an  extraordinary  knowl- 
edge of  the  law  of  wills,  trusts,  and  powers  and  uses,  but  it  is  only  just  to 
say  that  this  remarkable  ability  was  equaled  by  his  tact  toward  judge,  jury 
and  witness.  He  was  a  master  of  humor,  repartee  and  sympathy ;  cross- 
examination  and  analysis.  His  power  of  lucid  argument  was  remarkable,  and 
his  speeches  when  transcribed  by  the  stenographer  read  like  polished  reviews. 
Unfortunately,  Mr.  O' Conor's  delivery  was  not  especially  good.  His  voice 
lacked  flexibility,  but  the  logic  of  his  statements,  and  the  power  of  the  facts 
which  he  cited,  were  so  great  that  his  delivery  was  forgotten.  Even  in 
repartee  he  was  logical.  Many  of  his  expressions  were  crisp  and  epigram- 
matic. No  greater  tribute  to  his  pre-eminence  can  be  suggested  than  the 
fact  that  after  the  passage  of  nearly  two  decades,  bringing  enormous  increase 
of  interests,  legal  business  and  an  ever-increasing  throng  of  lawyers,  great 
numbers  of  whom  are  men  of  uncommon  ability,  the  fame  of  Charles  O' Conor 
as  the  greatest  lawyer  who  has  practiced  before  the  Bar  of  New  York 
remains  undisputed. 

Benjamin  F.  Butler  was  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  past  generation  of 
New  York's  great  lawyers.  He  attained  his  great  success  through  remarkable 
learning  and  a  wonderfully  retentive  memory,  possessing,  also,  a  ready  wit 
and  great  fertility  of  resource  Mr.  Butler  was  born  in  Kinderhook,  N.  Y. , 
December  14,  1795,  and  died  in  Paris  November  8,  1858.  He  studied  law 
in  the  office  of  Martin  Van  Buren.  The  most  notable  accomplishment  of  his 
professional  career  was  the  revision  of  the  Statutes  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
By  far  the  larger  part  of  the  entire  revision,  occupying  a  period  of  four  years, 
was  his  individual  work.  In  1833,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  President 
Jackson,  Mr.  Butler  became  the  Attorney -General  of  the  United  States,  and 
later  he  assumed  also  the  duties  of  Secretary  of  War.  Mr.  Butler  continued 
as  Attorney -General  during  the  first  year  and  a  half  of  President  Van  Buren's 
administration,  and  then  returned  to  New  York  and  resumed  the  practice  of 
law.  He  was  called  to  the  Cabinet  of  President  Polk,  but  declined.  Al- 
though Mr.  Butler  always  considered  that  his  life  work  was  to  be  found  in 
connection  with  the  revision  of  the  Statutes,  it  is  no  less  true  that  he  has  been 
ranked  by  his  contemporaries  and  successors  as  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
learned  lawyers  who  have  ever  graced  the  Bar  of  New  York. 

Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  born  in  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  February  9,  1814,  and 
died  August  4,  1886.  Mr.  Tilden,  though  early  displaying  high  intellectual 
qualities,  possessed  throughout  life  a  very  delicate  constitution.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1841,  and  for  the  period  of  thirty  years  devoted  him- 
self with  increasing  success  to  his  profession.  Athough  he  was  continually 
interested  in  politics,  and  was  active  and  influential  in  the  affairs  of  his 
period,  it  never  interfered  with  his  high  standing  as  a  lawyer.  He  made  a 
specialty  of  municipal  law.  He  was  noted  for  his  unfailing  courtesy,  and 
his  extraordinary  grasp  of  facts  and  figures.    Hia  eminence  in  politics  was 


208 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


due  to  his  professional  ability,  which  he  exercised  for  the  improvement  and 
elevation  of  the  municipal  government  of  New  York.  He  was  elected  Gover- 
nor of  New  York  in  1874,  and  was  a  candidate  for  President  of  the  United 
States  in  1876,  resulting  in  the  historic  disputed  election,  which  was  finally 
decided  against  Mr.  Tilden.  After  the  decision  of  this  momentous  question, 
Mr.  Tilden  lived  in  retirement,  having  accumulated  a  great  fortune,  but  con- 
tinued to  manifest  a  dignified  and  useful  interest  in  public  affairs. 

Eoscoe  Conkling  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  October  30,  1829,  and  died 
in  New  York  City  April  18,  1888.  He  was  not  only  one  of  the  most  skillful 
lawyers  at  the  Bar  of  New  York,  but  attained  a  high  place  among  the  public 
men  whom  New  York  State  has  contributed  to  the  history  of  the  Union.  After 
filling  the  office  of  Mayor  of  Utiea  for  two  terms,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
National  House  of  Representatives,  where  he  remained  until  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  in  which  body  he  continued  a  member  from  1867  until 
1881,  when  he  resigned  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  New  York.  The 
exciting  and  momentous  political  history  of  the  period  in  which  Mr.  Conkling 
was  active  in  State  and  National  afi"airs  ofi"ered  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
his  great  abilities,  and  much  of  the  legislation  of  that  period  was  due  to  his 
influence.  His  personality  was  very  striking — a  man  of  commanding  pres- 
ence and  unrufiJed  dignity.  He  i:)ossessed  great  oratorical  ability,  to  which 
was  added  remarkable  power  of  satire.  After  his  return  to  the  Bar  he  was 
sought  by  many  of  the  larger  interests  of  the  metropolis  to  represent  them  in 
the  preparation  of  opinions,  and  actively  in  court.  He  quickly  accumulated 
a  very  large  practice,  which  was  said  to  be  the  most  lucrative  in  New  York 
City  at  that  period.    His  death  was  caused  by  exposure  in  the  blizzard  of  1888. 

David  Dudley  Field  was  born  February  13,  1805.  He  died  in  New  York 
April  13,  1894.  He  was  the  eldest  of  a  large  family,  all  of  whom  have 
attained  distinction.  Under  the  careful  instruction  of  his  father,  a  clergyman 
of  great  learning  and  ability,  he  received  careful  instruction  in  the  rudiments 
of  Latin  and  Greek,  and  the  other  requirements  for  entering  college.  Ho 
graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1825,  removed  to  Albany,  where  he  read 
law  in  the  office  of  Harmanus  Bleecker,  and  later  removed  to  New  York,  where 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1828.  From  that  date  until  a  short  time  before 
his  death,  he  continued  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  and  became  one  of 
the  best  known  lawyers  in  the  United  States.  Without  enumerating  the  great 
number  of  famous  cases  with  which  Mr.  Field  was  connected,  and  the  eminent 
counsel  with  whom  he  was  associated,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  his  greatest 
reputation  was  made  as  a  codifier  of  the  laws  rather  than  as  a  practicing  at- 
torney. Mr.  Field  was  appointed  in  1847  a  Coromissioner  to  draft  appro- 
priate codes.  He  prepared  the  celebrated  New  York  Code  of  Civil  Procedure 
which  was  adopted  in  ]  848.  He  prepared  and  submitted  at  different  times 
three  other  codes;  that  of  Criminal  Procedure,  adopted  in  1881,  and  the 
Penal  Code  adopted  in  1882.    The  Civil  Code  which  Mr.  Field  considered 


ROSCOE  CONKLING. 


CHARLE:3  O'CONOR. 


Famous  Lawyers  of  To-day. 


211 


the  most  important,  lias  never  been  adopted.  The  Code  of  Civil  Procedure 
has  formed  the  model  for  the  Practice  Code  of  twenty-seven  States  and  three 
Territories.  Although  Mr.  Field  was  deeply  interested  in  politics  during  his 
long  and  active  life,  he  held  few  public  oflQces.  He  was  a  member  of  Congress 
in  1877,  and  became  the  personal  representative  of  Mr.  Tilden  during  the 
exciting  period  of  the  Electoral  Commission. 

William  Maxwell  Evarts  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  February,  1818. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  graduated  from  Harvard  College.  Having  studied 
law  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  York  City,  and  was 
quickly  recognized  as  a  young  man  of  great  ability.  Mr.  Evarts  was  early 
pitted  against  Charles  O' Conor  and  the  other  leaders  of  the  New  York  Bar,  and 
secured  remarkable  success.  It  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  no  other  lawyer  to  be 
associated  with  the  four  greatest  legal  contests  of  this  or  the  previous  gen- 
eration. Each,  moreover,  represented  a  radically  different  department  of  the 
law.  The  four  cases  referred  to  are  the  Beecher-Tilton  trial,  which  was  the 
most  notable  civil  action  recorded  in  this  country ;  the  impeachment  of  Presi- 
dent Johnson,  the  most  important  State  trial  ever  held  in  the  United  States ; 
the  Electoral  Commission,  by  which,  in  1876,  the  succession  to  the  Presi- 
dency was  peaceably  determined ;  and  the  Tribunal  of  Award  at  Geneva,  the 
first  example  of  arbitration  between  two  great  nations.  Three  of  these  trials 
form  momentous  incidents  in  the  history  of  the  United  States.  Amid  bril- 
liant surroundings  and  associated  with  the  keenest  legal  intellects  of  the 
United  States  and  England,  Mr.  Evarts  was  a  conspicuous  and  admired  per- 
sonality. In  1876  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States. 
He  has  also  been  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States,  and  a  Senator  from  the 
State  of  New  York.  Mr.  Evarts'  personality  is  quite  remarkable.  Small  of 
stature,  exceedingly  light,  with  sharp,  emaciated  face,  and  very  small  head,  he 
possesses  an  ever-present  dignity,  never  overstepped.  His  legal  attainments 
are  profound,  and  his  power  of  logical  concentration  scarcely  less  remarkable. 
In  public  life  he  possessed  great  abilities  as  an  orator,  combining  eloquence 
with  great  lucidity  of  expression.  It  was  told  in  Washington,  during  the 
administration  of  President  Hayes,  that  some  one  remarked  to  the  President 
upoQ  the  small  size  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  "It  may  be,"  admitted  the 
President.  "Have  you  considered  the  brain?' '  he  added  significantly.  In  the 
profession  of  the  law,  in  politics  and  diplomacy,  in  public  and  private,  he 
has  been  characterized  by  unswerving  integrity.  Mr.  Evarts  is  universally 
esteemed  and  respected  by  his  associates  at  the  Bar.  Though  long  active  in 
IDolitics,  he  was  never  concerned  in  petty  jealousies  of  intrigue  and  faction, 
but  through  a  long  and  busy  life,  the  name  of  William  M.  Evarts  has  stood 
for  all  that  was  purest  and  best  in  public  and  private  life. 

Half  a  century  ago  there  were  scarcely  more  than  500  lawyers  in  New  York. 
Now,  in  the  vast  population  of  the  enlarged  metropolis  there  are  9, 000 — more 
than  the  entire  population  of  New  York,  men,  women,  children,  negroes  and 


212 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Indians,  in  the  year  1700.  From  the  great  law  schools  of  the  metropolis  and 
of  the  many  universities,  and  also  from  private  study,  come  yearly  a  great 
number  of  applicants  for  admission  to  the  Bar.  The  latter  act  is  regulated 
by  law,  and  after  suitable  examination  and  acceptance,  the  successful  candi- 
dates are  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  Appellate  Division  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  The  admissions  to  the  Bar  of  New  York  since  January  1, 
1896,  number  899.  From  these  figures  one  catches  a  glimpse  of  the  vast 
private  and  corporate  interests,  the  endless  litigation,  and  innumerable  estates 
of  the  metropolis.  Upon  no  class  in  this  great  community  rests  a  greater 
weight  of  responsibility  than  upon  the  thousands  of  lawyers  who  fill  so  many 
varied  and  exacting  roles.  They  are  energetic,  shrewd  and  brainy,  little 
given  to  rhetoric,  but  armed  with  facts.  While  unprincipled  lawyers  are  not 
rare  in  New  York,  it  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  the  standard  of  personal 
honesty  and  honor  is  very  high.  In  such  a  great  company  of  brainy  men, 
success  is  no  mean  tribute  to  individual  ability.  In  every  community,  how- 
ever, there  are  leaders,  and  this  is  still  true  of  the  Bar  of  New  York — a  fact 
by  no  one  more  promptly  admitted  than  by  the  lawyers  themselves,  who  by 
tradition  and  training  are  ever  proud  of  those  whose  genius  clearly  entitles 
them  to  pre-eminence.  In  the  first  rank  of  the  Bar  of  the  metropolis,  at  the 
present  time,  stand  three  men,  Joseph  H.  Choate,  James  C.  Carter  and  Fred- 
eric E.  Coudert.  Many  men  of  great  ability,  respected  in  their  profession 
and  known  far  and  wide  in  the  community,  closely  press  the  leaders.  In- 
deed, in  the  second  rank  throng  so  many  men  of  versatility  and  brilliant 
attainment,  that  enumeration  is  difficult  and  unnecessary.  By  reference  to 
the  following  pages,  detailed  sketches  of  many  well-known  lawyers  will  be 
found. 

Joseph  Hodges  Choate  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  January  24,  1832.  He 
is  descended  from  John  Choate,  who  emigrated  to  the  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Mr.  Choate  is  a  nephew 
of  the  famous  Eufus  Choate,  orator,  jurist  and  statesman,  who  will  ever  be 
known  as  one  of  the  greatest  lawyers  and  orators  produced  in  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Choate  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Salem,  later  enter- 
ing Harvard  College,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  '52. 
After  a  course  of  study  at  the  Dane  Law  School,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
in  Massachusetts,  and  removed  to  New  York  City  in  1856,  where  he  has  since 
practiced  with  increasing  fame  and  success.  Mr.  Choate  now  stands  practi- 
cally at  the  head  of  the  Bar  of  the  City  and  State  of  New  York.  Indeed,  his 
reputation  is  almost  as  wide  as  that  of  his  illustrious  uncle.  His  practice  is 
probably  the  largest  and  most  lucrative  in  New  York.  He  is  famous  as  an 
after-dinner  speaker,  possessing  a  remarkable  power  of  satire.  An  active 
Eepublican,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  reform  movements  in  the  party, 
and  is  interested  in  all  that  points  to  the  uplifting  of  the  social  and  political 
conditions  of  the  community  and  country.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 


FHEDKRK'    R.  COUDERT. 


WILLIAM   M.  EVARTS. 


Famous  Lawyers  of  To-day. 


215 


League,  City,  University,  Metropolitan  and  Harvard  Clubs,  the  Association  of 
the  Bar,  and  the  New  England  Society. 

James  Coolidge  Carter  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  October  14,  1827. 
He  is  the  son  of  Ma-jor  Solomon  Carter,  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town,  and 
is  descended  from  the  Rev.  Thomas  Carter,  who  emigrated  to  New  England 
in  1635.  Mr.  Carter  was  educated  at  Derby  Academy,  Hingham,  Mass.,  and 
was  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  '50.  He  attended  the 
Harvard  Law  School,  graduating  in  1853.  Eemoving  to  New  York  City  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  has  continued  in  the  active  and  successful  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  up  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Carter  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  and  learned  lawyers  in  America.  He  possesses  a  remark- 
able ability  to  grasp  a  subject  in  a  logical  and  intellectual  manner,  and  adds 
to  his  great  abilities  an  eloquence  which  is  warm  and  convincing.  He  has 
been  a  prominent  figure  in  almost  all  of  the  famous  legal  controversies  which 
have  taken  place  in  New  York  since  his  settlement  in  this  City.  While  not 
prominent  in  politics,  he  has  been  active  in  every  movement  which  has  had 
for  its  object  the  purification  of  political  and  legal  institutions  of  the  City  and 
State.  He  is  an  author  of  several  notable  addresses  and  pamphlets,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar,  the  Metropolitan,  City  and  Century 
Clubs. 

Frederic  R.  Coudert,  one  of  the  foremost  members  of  the  New  York  Bar, 
and  a  leading  representative  of  American  families  of  French  descent,  was  born 
in  New  York  in  1832.  His  father,  Charles  Coudert,  was  an  oSicer  of  the 
guard  of  honor  attached  to  the  Imperial  Guard  of  Napoleon  I.,  and  was  con- 
demned to  death  for  participating  in  the  conspiracy  to  elevate  the  Duke  of 
Eeichstadt  to  the  throne.  He  escaped,  however,  and  came  to  America  in 
1824.  Frederic  R.  Coudert  graduated  from  Columbia  College  with  honors  in 
1850,  and  three  years  later  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  The  firm  of  Coudert 
Bros. ,  consisting  of  Mr.  Coudert,  and  his  brothers  Louis  Leonce  and  Charles 
Jr. ,  has  a  branch  in  Paris,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
conservative  in  America.  Mr.  Coudert  has  a  brilliant  record  o-f  hard-earned 
victories  in  legal  controversies  requiring  the  greatest  ability.  He  has  devoted 
special  attention  to  international  law,  and  has  represented  the  United  States 
Government  in  many  recent  controversies  with  foreign  countries.  In  the 
Behring  Sea  seal  controversy  he  made  a  masterly  presentation  of  the  Ameri- 
can side  before  the  foreign  commission  at  Paris  in  1893.  In  1895  President 
Cleveland  appointed  him  on  the  commission  to  adjust  our  dispute  with  Eng- 
land concerning  the  Venezuela  boundary  line,  the  happy  solution  of  which 
problem  at  a  time  when  war  rumors  were  rife  dispelled  much  anxiety.  In 
1887,  at  the  International  Congress  on  the  Law  of  Nations,  at  Antwerp,  he 
appeared  as  a  delegate  representing  the  interests  of  American  Commerce,  and 
five  years  later,  attended,  in  the  same  capacity,  another  session  of  that  Con- 
gress in  Liverpool,  England.    His  success  in  these  and  other  instances  has 


216 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


won  him  a  reputation  abroad  whicli  few  members  of  the  profession  enjoy. 
The  respect  and  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  brethren  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession has  been  indicated  by  his  election  as  President  of  the  New  York  Bar 
Association,  and  his  appointment  by  a  committee  of  the  Bar  to  prepare  the 
memorial  on  the  death  of  Charles  O'Conor.  In  politics  Mr.  Coudert  is  a 
Democrat,  and  his  reputation  in  the  discussion  of  political  subjects  is  second- 
ary only  to  his  success  as  an  after-dinner  speaker.  He  has,  however,  steadily 
declined  political  honors.  In  his  private  life  he  has  devoted  much  attention 
to  charitable  work,  and  belongs  to  many  social  and  philanthropic  organiza- 
tions. He  is  a  member  of  the  City  and  American  Bar  Associations,  the  Man- 
hattan Club,  Young  Men's  Democratic  Club  and  the  Columbia  College  Alumni 
Association ;  has  been  President  of  the  French  Benevolent  Society,  and  of  the 
United  States  Catholic  Hospital  Society,  and  has  been  decorated  with  the 
Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  by  France  and  Italy. 

Frank  Adams  Acer  was  born  in  Medina,  N.  Y.,  June  1,  1868.  On  his 
father's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  through  his 
mother  traces  back  his  ancestry  to  the  Pecks  and  Clarks  of  Connecticut,  who 
furnished  that  Commonwealth  some  of  its  distinguished  Governors  in  Colo- 
nial days.  Fortunate  in  his  hereditary  gifts,  he  was  equally  fortunate  in  hav- 
ing his  native  qualities  evoked  and  trained  by  a  higher  education  in  the 
Medina  Academy,  the  Kochester  University,  and  the  Columbia  Law  School. 
It  was  not  long  after  he  had  taken  his  degree  of  LL.B.,  and  had  been  admitted 
to  the  Bar,  that  his  professional  associates  recognized  in  Mr.  Acer  a  man  of 
ability,  and  were  not  surprised  to  see  him  intrusted  with  many  large  interests 
and  handling  important  cases.  For  two  years  he  was  Assistant  Corj^oration 
Counsel  to  this  City.  In  the  fall  of  1897  Mr.  Acer  was  nominated  by  the 
Democrats  of  the  Twenty -seventh  Assembly  District  for  the  Legislature,  and 
although  the  District  was  hopelessly  Eepublican,  he  made  an  excellent  fight, 
running  ahead  of  his  ticket,  having  the  personal  indorsement  of  some  of  our 
most  prominent  citizens.  For  two  years  prior  to  the  first  of  May,  1898,  Mr. 
Acer  was  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Morse  &  Acer,  but  is  now  by  himself 
at  No.  10  Wall  Street.  In  April,  1897,  he  married  Addie  Estelle,  daughter 
of  Albert  Tilt,  and  resides  in  West  Seventy-first  Street. 

Samuel  G.  Adams  is  a  native  of  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  was  born, 
December  6,  1843.  He  received  a  collegiate  training  in  the  New  York  City 
College,  and  graduated  from  the  Law  Department  of  that  institution  in  the 
class  of  1866.  After  leaving  college  he  joined  the  Sixty-sixth  Kegiment  of 
New  York  Volunteers,  and  served  throughout  the  Civil  War,  being  promoted 
successively  to  the  ranks  of  lieutenant  and  captain,  and  eventually  receiving 
the  Gettysburg  medal.  Returning  from  the  War,  he  entered  the  office  of  John 
H.  White,  then  a  prominent  lawyer,  but  now  deceased,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  in  1866.  Since  that  time  he  has  followed  his  profession  uninter- 
ruptedly, conducting  a  general  civil  practice.     Among  his  most  notable 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


219 


engagements,  lie  was  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  in  the  McBride  divorce  case, 
in  which  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,  Joseph  H.  Choate,  W.  Bourke  Cochran  and 
John  O' Byrne,  Assistant  District  Attorney,  appeared.  Mr.  Adams  was  also 
attorney  for  the  plaintiff  in  the  famous  Vanderbilt- Allen  case,  in  which  Ira 
Shaffer  was  also  retained  for  plaintiff.  He  now  holds  among  other  profes- 
sional relations,  the  position  of  attorney  for  the  owners  of  the  old  Putnam 
House  property,  a  case  which  has  been  before  the  courts  for  a  long  while,  and 
involves  several  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  is  also  attorney  for  the  Wine 
and  Spirits  Trade  Society  of  the  United  States.  He  devotes  little  time  to 
club  life,  but  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  and 
the  State  Bar  Association.  In  1882  he  married  Arabella  Beverly,  the  daughter 
of  a  prominent  builder. 

Asa  A.  Ailing  was  born  in  New  York  City,  May  4  ,1862.  Mr.  Ailing 
comes  of  an  old  American  family,  being  descended  from  Roger  Ailing,  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  New  Haven  and  Treasurer  of  the  Colony  in  1637.  His 
father  was  J.  Sackett  Ailing,  a  prominent  merchant  of  New  York,  and  his 
mother  was  Miss  Ann  E.  Bertine,  of  East  Chester,  a  descendant  of  the  Hugue- 
nots. Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  Y^'ork  and  Dutchess  County, 
Mr.  Ailing  prepared  for  college  at  the  Chappaqua  Institute,  and  entered  Cor- 
nell University  in  the  class  of  '83,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
with  honors.  During  his  college  career  he  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  the 
institution,  being  one  of  the  organizers  and  editors  of  the  Cornell  "Daily 
Sun,"  the  winner  of  the  "Woodford  prize  for  the  best  oration  delivered  by  the 
members  of  the  senior  class.  Ivy  orator,  and  one  of  the  first  members  of  the 
Cornell  Chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  Mr.  Ailing  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Beta  Theta  Pi  and  Phi  Delta  Phi  college  fraternities.  Eeturning  to  New 
York  after  graduation,  he  entered  Columbia  Law  School,  graduated  in  1885, 
and  was  admitted  the  same  year  to  the  Bar  of  New  York.  For  nearly  a  year 
he  practiced  law  in  partnership  with  Judge  Daniel  W.  Guernsey.  He  then 
entered  the  office  of  Piatt,  Gerard  &  Bowers,  and  in  1889  formed  the  present 
partnership  of  Keuneson,  Crain  &  Ailing,  with  offices  at  11  and  13  William 
Street.  Mr.  Ailing  has  made  a  specialty  of  corporation  and  financial  law. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Colonial  Trust  Company,  and  is  one  of 
the  attorneys  of  the  company.  He  has  organized  a  large  number  of  other 
corporations  and  financial  institutions,  and  has  acted  as  legal  adviser  for 
banks,  trust  and  insurance  companies.  The  general  practice  of  his  firm  is 
large  and  remunerative.  In  the  social  and  political  life  of  the  City  Mi".  Ail- 
ing has  been  an  important  factor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan,  Man- 
hattan, Eeform,  Democratic  and  Cornell  University  Clubs,  Bar  Association, 
and  the  New  England  Society,  New  York  Historical  Society,  and  the  New 
York  Biographical  and  Genealogical  Society.  He  is  also  connected  with 
other  political,  social  and  literary  organizations.  Although  a  Democrat  by 
political  belief,  Mr.  Ailing  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Sound  Money  organ- 


220 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


ization  of  '96,  and  by  his  energy  and  activity  greatly  aided  in  promoting  the 
success  of  the  movement.  In  June,  1894,  he  married  Miss  Louise  Floyd 
Smith,  a  descendant  of  old  American  Eevolutionary  stock.  Mrs.  Ailing  is  a 
member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Eevolution,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  social  life  and  charitable  work  of  the  City. 

James  Kose  Angel  was  born  at  Angelica,  Allegany  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1836.  His  ancestry  on  both  sides  extends  to  the  earliest  settlers  of 
New  England.  His  father,  the  late  Judge  "William  Gardiner  Angel,  of  An- 
gelica, N.  T.,  was  born  in  Khode  Island,  and  his  mother,  Clarissa  English,  in 
Connecticut.  James  Eose  Angel  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  and 
acdemies  of  his  native  county,  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farmer  until  the 
age  of  twenty-three.  He  then  went  to  the  far  West  and  became  a  lumberman 
on  Puget  Sound  and  in  San  Francisco  Mr.  Angel's  standing  among  his 
associates  and  neighbors  on  the  then  sparsely  settled  Pacific  Coast,  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Council  of  Washington  for 
two  years,  1864  and  1865.  Tiring  at  length  of  the  privations  of  that  remote 
region,  Mr.  Angel  returned  to  the  East  and  became  a  law  student  in  his 
brother's  office  at  Belmont,  N.  T.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Buffalo, 
in  November,  1867,  and  began  at  once  the  practice  of  his  profession,  remov- 
ing to  New  York  City  in  November  of  the  following  year.  Thoughtful  and 
serious  by  nature,  Judge  Angel  finds  time  amid  the  exacting  requirements  of 
a  large  general  practice,  for  wide  reading,  and  is  exceptionally  well  informed 
in  matters  political,  literary  and  religious.  He  was  appointed  a  United 
States  Commissioner  in  1870  for  life,  and  was  Justice  of  the  Tenth  District 
Court  of  New  York  City  from  1880  to  1886.  May  25,  1871,  he  married 
Addie  Bigelow,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y. ,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Leander  B.  Bige- 
low,  a  physician  of  high  standing  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  Judge 
Angel  has  two  daughters.  He  resides  in  that  part  of  New  York  formerly 
known  as  Morrisania. 

Henry  Clinton  Backus  descends  from  good  old  New  England  ancestry  of 
Colonial  and  Eevolutionary  fame ;  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  C.  Backus,  who 
was  one  of  the  publishers  of  "The  Examiner"  from  1840  to  1847,  and  later 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  American  Express  Company  and  of  other  im- 
portant enterprises.  The  son  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1848,  two  years 
before  his  family  moved  to  New  York,  and  was  educated  successively  in  the 
public  schools  and  by  private  tutors  in  the  latter  city;  at  Exeter,  N.  H., 
under  Prof.  Wentworth ;  at  Harvard  University ;  and  at  Columbia  University 
Law  School,  taking  his  degree  of  B.A.  at  Harvard  in  1871,  and  LL.B.  at 
Columbia  in  1873.  During  the  Civil  War  he  formed  a  company  in  a  regiment 
called  the  "McClellan  Grays, "  composed  of  New  York  boys  who  were  too 
young  to  enlist.  Upon  his  admission  to  the  Bar  he  was  first  associated  with 
Sanford,  Eobinson  &  Woodruff;  subsequently,  however,  he  became  con- 
nected with  Beebe,  Wilcox  &  Hobbs,  this  firm  being  at  that  time  the  most 


HENRY    CLINTON  BACKUS. 


Hie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


228 


prominent  admiralty  firm  of  lawyers  in  the  United  States.  In  the  course  of 
time  he  established  himself  alone.  He  has  confined  his  attention  to  the 
practice  of  civil  law,  in  which  he  has  steadily  risen  by  his  merits  as  a  lawyer 
and  his  character  as  a  gentleman.  In  politics  he  is  identified  with  the  Ke- 
publican  party,  whose  principles  he  has  actively  espoused.  For  ten  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  County  Committee,  being  placed  for  five 
years  on  its  Committee  on  Resolutions,  and  for  one  year  on  its  Executive 
Committee.  During  his  service  here  he  introduced  and  carried  through  an 
amendment  to  the  Republican  County  Constitution,  whereby  twenty-five  voters 
in  any  Assembly  District  were  given  power  to  compel  the  polls  at  a  primary 
to  be  open  twelve  instead  of  six  hours.  In  1891  he  was  chairman  of  the 
delegation  of  the  then  Thirteenth  Assembly  District  to  the  New  York  Repub- 
lican County  Committee,  and  after  a  hotly  contested  five  months'  fight,  the 
County  Committee  seated  his  delegation.  Mr.  Backus  held  the  leadership  of 
his  District  for  the  year ;  but,  after  having  effected  harmony  between  its  war- 
ring Republican  factions,  declined  a  re-election  for  1892.  Although  fre- 
quently tendered  nominations  by  his  party,  including  those  of  Assemblyman, 
City  Court  Judge  and  Surrogate,  he  has  invariably  declined  political  prefer- 
ment with  one  exception.  In  1893  he  was  a  Republican  candidate  from  the 
Seventh  Senatorial  District  of  the  State  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
New  York,  and,  though  failing  of  election,  polled  a  larger  vote  than  any  candi- 
date standing  on  his  party  ticket  in  the  same  District  that  year.  He  has  also 
been  a  valuable  delegate  to  numerous  State  conventions.  His  popularity  in 
his  professional,  political  and  social  relations  has  led  to  many  demands  for 
his  co-operation  in  important  undertakings,  such  as  the  erection  of  the  Grant 
Maiisoleum,  with  which  undertaking  he  was  associated  as  an  original  mem- 
ber of  the  Monument  Committee.  The  dedication  of  this  memorial  to  the 
great  American  General,  in  April,  1897,  was  one  of  the  most  notable  demon- 
strations in  the  history  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Though  never  much  inter- 
ested in  criminal  practice,  he  saved  the  life  of  an  innocent  man,  in  the  case  of 
the  State  of  Kansas  vs.  Baldwin,  who  was  accused,  tried  and  convicted  for 
killing  his  sister,  public  clamor  having  much  to  do  with  the  verdict.  The 
mother  employed  Mr.  Backus,  through  whose  eflforts  the  boy  was  pardoned  by 
the  Governor.  Mr.  Backus  is  a  member  of  the  Chelsea  Republican  Club,  of 
New  York  City ;  of  the  Round  Table  Club,  of  the  Dwight  Alumni  Associa- 
tion ;  of  the  New  York  City  and  State  Bar  Associations ;  a  Fellow  of  the 
American  Geographical  Society ;  an  honorary  member  of  the  Railway  Con- 
ductors' Club  of  North  America;  and  belongs  to  other  organizations  in  which 
he  finds  opportunity  for  the  gratification  of  his  tastes  and  predilections.  In 
1890  he  married  Hattie  I.  Davis,  who  is  one  of  the  managers  of  the  New 
York  Colored  Orphan  Asylum,  a  benevolent  work  in  which  Mr.  Backus  is 
much  interested. 


2U 


Neio  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Vallandigbam  B.  Baggott,  wlio  is  associated  with  George  Eyall  in  the  law 
firm  of  Baggott  &  Eyall,  with  offices  at  309  BroadAvay,  was  born  May  22, 
1862,  near  Dayton,  O.  After  receiving  a  public  school  education  he  took  a 
thorough  business  course  in  the  Miami  Commercial  College  of  Dayton.  After 
serving  several  years  as  credit  man  in  a  large  wholesale  house,  he  followed 
the  example  of  many  another  enterprising  Ohioan,  and  in  the  year  1885  came 
to  New  York.  Here  he  determined  to  abandon  a  mercantile  life  and  prepare 
for  the  profession  of  law.  Entering  the  offices  of  one  of  our  prominent  law 
firms  he  served  as  manager  for  several  years,  and  in  the  course  of  time 
became  a  member  of  the  firm.  Subsequently  the  jjartnership  was  dissolved  by 
mutual  consent,  and  was  succeeded  in  1894  by  the  firm  of  Baggott  &  Eyall. 
The  present  jjartners,  being  of  nearly  the  same  age,  and  each  possessing  talents 
which  complement  those  of  the  other,  have  built  up  a  large  and  steadily  grow- 
ing clientele,  and  by  their  extensive  relations  in  other  States,  the  firm  name 
has  come  to  be  well  known  in  the  profession  throughout  the  country. 

Seward  Baker,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Union  Vale,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y., 
December  30,  1853.  His  father  was  Eansom  Baker,  a  noted  criminal  lawyer 
of  Poughkeepsie ;  and  his  mother  Ophelia  Lossing,  was  a  cousin  of  Benson 
J.  Lossing,  the  historian  and  artist,  to  whom  the  people  of  this  State  are  so 
deeply  indebted  for  the  preservation  of  the  memory  of  her  historic  achieve- 
ments and  the  picturesque  aspects  of  her  natural  beauties.  Mr.  Baker  was 
educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Poughkeepsie,  after  which  he  read  law  in 
the  offices  of  the  Hon.  Milton  A.  Fowler,  ex-Surrogate  of  the  County,  and  the 
office  of  Hackett  &  Williams,  both  ex-District  Attorneys  of  the  County.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  on  February  12,  1875,  in  Brooklyn,  and  practiced  at 
Amenia,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  for  five  years,  when  he  became  the  partner 
of  his  father,  and  removed  to  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  In  1883,  hoM'ever,  he 
came  to  New  York,  where  he  has  established  a  large  general  civil  practice, 
devoted  chiefly  to  corporation  and  real  estate  litigation.  Although  his  offices 
are  in  the  crowded  district  of  lower  Broadway,  he  has  lived  in  the  old  West- 
chester District  since  1885,  where  for  many  years  he  was  counsel  for  the 
Supervisor  of  Westchester.  Since  the  annexation  of  that  territory  to  the  City 
he  has  been  special  counsel  for  New  York  City  under  Corporation  Counsel 
Scott,  and  is  now  special  counsel  for  the  Westchester  District  under  Corpora- 
tion Counsel  Whalen.  He  was  an  earnest  believer  in  the  annexation  of  that 
region  to  the  City  of  New  York,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
movement  which  resulted  in  its  union.  In  politics  Mr.  Baker  is  a  Eepubli- 
can,  and  one  of  the  political  leaders  of  the  District.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Bar  Association  and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  1876  Mr. 
Baker  married  Helena  C.  Anthes,  daughter  of  Charles  Anthes,  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Edith  E. 
Baker,  now  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  a  prominent  member  of  Old  St.  Peter's 
Surplice  Choir  at  Westchester. 


TJie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


227 


John  Wilkinson  Bartram  was  born  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  T.,  December 
25,  1845,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  the  Oswego  Village  Insti- 
tute, State  Normal  School  and  Albany  University,  graduating  in  1869.  He 
had  read  law  for  several  years  prior  to  graduation,  and  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice at  Albany  in  1869.  In  that  year  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  H.  D. 
Burlingame,  of  Albany,  under  the  firm  name  of  Burlingame  &  Bartram,  which 
copartnership  extended  over  a  period  of  only  two  years.  He  did  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  work  in  the  preparation  of  Wait's  Supplement  to  Clinton's 
Digest  during  that  period,  and  then  removed  to  Wappingers  Falls,  N.  Y. 
There  he  engaged  in  a  general  practice  of  the  law  for  over  twenty  years,  when 
he  formed  business  relations  with  Seward  Baker,  at  59  Liberty  Street,  New 
York  City.  He  has  retained  his  country  business  while  building  up  a  large 
practice  in  the  last  named  City.  He  has  always  held  aloof  from  polities, 
having  declined  nomination  for  several  prominent  official  positions,  preferring 
rather  to  devote  his  life  exclusively  to  his  chosen  profession,  to  which  he  is 
greatly  attached.  He  has  proved  an  eminently  successful  lawyer,  and  has 
rapidly  gained  the  confidence  of  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  Y'ork. 

Kobert  Chetwood  Beatty  was  born  in  New  York  in  1872,  with  a  natural 
predilection  for  the  legal  profession,  in  which  his  ancestors  have  been  distin- 
guished. Among  his  progenitors  were  Judge  John  Chetwood,  of  the  New 
Jersey  Supreme  Court ;  the  Hon.  William  Chetwood,  of  the  New  Jersey  Bar 
and  Member  of  Congress ;  and  James  Emott,  of  the  New  Y'ork  Bar.  Mr. 
Beatty  was  fortunate  in  receiving  a  liberal  education  for  the  development  of 
his  natural  talents,  and  took  his  degree  of  LL.B.  from  Columbia  University 
in  1891:  with  the  senior  honors.  In  the  following  year  he  received  the  degree 
of  LL.M.  from  the  same  institution.  In  1895  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  elected  to  membership  in  the  Bar  Association  of  the 
City  of  New  York.  Soon  after  his  admission  he  entered  the  Law  Department 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  being  appointed  "Junior  Assistant  to  the  Counsel 
for  the  Corporation."  His  particular  duties  related  to  trials  of  claims 
against  the  City  for  damages  for  changes  of  street  grades,  and  involved  court 
work  of  all  kinds  and  the  argument  of  appeals.  On  December  31,  1897,  he 
resigned  the  office  to  resume  his  private  practice,  and  is  now  associated  with 
the  firm  of  Deyo,  Duer  &  Bouerdorf,  115  Broadway,  devoting  his  time  to 
trials  and  appeals.  One  of  the  youngest  members  of  the  legal  profession,  he 
gives  promise  of  rising  to  the  distinction  which  is  a  tradition  of  his  family. 

James  Armstrong  Blanchard  was  born  in  Jelferson  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1845. 
At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  the  West  and  settled 
in  Wisconsin.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Wis- 
consin Cavalry,  and  served  to  the  end  of  the  conflict.  He  then  entered  the 
Preparatory  Department  of  Eipon  College,  and  later  pursued  the  collegiate 
course  at  that  institution,  graduating  in  1871.  During  this  period  Mr. 
Blanchard  edited  the  College  Magazine,  and  supported  himself  by  teaching. 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World, 


He  determined  to  study  law,  removed  to  New  York  and  entered  the  Law 
School  of  Columbia  University,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1873.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York,  and  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  Mr.  Blanchard  became  the  senior  partner  of  the  well-known 
law  firm  of  Blanchard,  Gay  &  Phelps,  in  1881.  The  practice  of  the  firm  is 
extensive  and  general,  but  Mr.  Blanchard  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
Trust,  Trademark  and  Corporation  law.  He  is  a  Eepublican  in  politics, 
unwavering  and  enthusiastic,  and  is  influential  in  the  councils  of  the  party, 
both  State  and  National,  for  several  years  being  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Eepublican  County  Committee,  and  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  National  Eepublican  League.  He  was  President  of  the  Eepub- 
lican Club  in  1892 ;  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Thirty,  and  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Seventy.  He  is  an  active  member  of  Lafayette  Post,  G.A.E.,  the 
Bar  Association,  Union  League,  and  Eepublican  Clubs,  the  American  Geo- 
graphical Society,  and  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art. 

Herman  Bolte,  whose  father  was  President  of  the  City  Council,  and  for 
many  years  Mayor  of  Hoexter,  Germany,  was  born  in  that  City  in  1843,  and 
came  to  New  York  in  1853.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Germany  and 
New  York,  and  began  his  career  in  the  banking  house  of  his  brother-in-law, 
Henry  Bischoflf.  Judge  Henry  Bischoff,  Jr.,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  is  a 
nephew  of  Judge  Bolte.  He  next  engaged  in  the  importing  business,  but 
withdrew  from  commercial  pursuits  in  1869,  and  entered  Columbia  Law 
School,  taking  his  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1874.  He  next  went  to  the  University 
of  Heidelberg,  Germany,  where  he  pursued  a  course  of  studies  in  civil  law, 
and  on  returning  to  New  York  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  adopting 
real  estate  and  matters  in  the  Surrogate's  Court  as  a  specialty.  His  success 
was  so  conspicuous  that  in  1893,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  to  be 
Justice  of  the  Second  Judicial  District  (now  Municipal)  Court,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  10,975,  oiitof  a  registered  vote  of  12,864,  the  largest 
ever  given  in  that  District.  The  equity  of  Judge  Bolte's  opinions  is  indi- 
cated by  the  fact  that  out  of  250  appeals,  the  Appellate  Court  has  reversed 
him  but  eight  times.  He  has  shown  much  ability  in  the  discharge  of  his 
judicial  duties,  and  has  proven  an  impartial  and  painstaking  officer,  and 
deservedly  enjoys  the  esteem  of  the  members  of  the  Bar,  as  well  as  of  all 
others  who  know  him.  Judge  Bolte  has  always  been  zealous  for  the  educa- 
tional interests  of  the  City.  From  1891  to  1896  he  was  Chairman  of  the 
Fourth  Ward  School  Trustees.  Through  his  efforts  the  new  schoolhouse  on 
Henry  Street  is  being  erected;  and  during  his  term  as  Chairman  of  the  School 
Trustees,  needed  reforms  were  made  in  the  personnel  of  the  teachers  and  em- 
ployees of  that  District,  and  valuable  improvements  were  made  in  the  lighting 
and  sanitary  conditions  of  the  schoolhouses.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in 
securing  the  passage  of  the  Public  School  Teachers'  Eetirement  Act,  and 
Governor  Flower  gave  him  the  pen  with  which  he  signed  it  in  recognition  of 


The  Bench  and  Baj^  of  New  York. 


231 


Judge  Bolte's  work  in  its  behalf.  He  belongs  to  a  number  of  political  and 
social  organizations,  including  Tammany  Hall,  the  Democratic,  Century  and 
Eiding  Clubs,  the  Liederkranz  and  the  Arion  Societies,  and  is  an  honorary 
member  of  the  New  York  Society  of  Pedagogy. 

Henry  C.  Botty  was  born  in  New  York  City,  December  27,  1854,  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  the  High  School,  and  Columbia  College  Law 
School,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  May,  1875.  His  college  education  was 
supplemented  by  a  course  of  law  reading  in  the  office  of  ex-Senator  Goebel, 
and  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  January,  1876.  Since  that  time  he  has 
conducted  a  general  practice,  his  specialty  being  real  property,  law  and  settle- 
ment of  estates.  On  July  30,  1895,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Morton  to 
the  City  Court  Bench  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Simon  M. 
Ehrlich,  Chief  Justice  of  said  Court.  An  ardent  Republican  in  his  political 
convictions,  he  has  actively  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  that  party. 
He  was  President  of  the  Jacob  M.  Patterson  Republican  Association  for  thir- 
teen consecutive  years,  from  1884  to  1897,  when  it  was  dissolved,  and  for 
twenty  years  last  past  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  Committee, 
representing  the  Tenth  Assembly  District.  He  was  candidate  for  County 
Clerk  in  1892,  and  was  nominated  for  re-election  to  the  City  Court  Judgeship 
in  1897  upon  the  ticket  headed  by  General  Tracy.  He  is  a  member  of  num- 
erous benevolent,  social  and  other  organizations,  and  an  associate  member  of 
J.  L.  Riker  Post,  No.  62,  G.A.R.  In  April,  1879,  he  married  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Bentz,  a  prominent  physician  of  New  York,  and  has  four  children. 

J.  Edgar  Bull,  son  of  Richard  H.  Bull  (professor  of  Civil  Engineering  in 
the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  President  of  the  New  York  Sav- 
ings Bank),  was  born  in  New  York  City  August  26,  1857.  His  first  ancestors 
in  this  country  came  from  England,  and  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Bull  received  the  degree  of  B.A.  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1878.  In  1880  he  received  from  the  Law 
Department  of  the  same  institution  the  degree  of  LL.  B. ,  and  was  awarded  the 
Essay  Prize.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  the  year  of  his  graduation,  and 
practiced  his  profession  alone  for  three  years,  devoting  considerable  time  to 
literary  work  as  one  of  the  editors  of  the  "Criminal  Law  Magazine."  In  1883 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Amos  Broadnax,  and  maintained  this  connec- 
tion for  a  decade,  when  the  present  firm  of  Gifford  &  Bull  was  organized, 
Livingston  Gifford  being  the  senior  partner.  Mr.  Bull's  practice  is  chiefly 
in  patent  and  trade-mark  litigations,  in  which  department  of  his  profession  it 
has  been  his  lot  to  handle  many  intricate  and  important  cases  in  the  United 
States  Courts.  He  is  also  Vice-President  and  a  Director  in  the  Gramercy 
Company.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  gives  comparatively  little  time 
to  participation  in  political  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican, 
Calumet,  Delta  Phi,  Camera  and  Hardware  Clubs  of  New  York  City,  the  Bal- 
tusrol  Golf  Club, of  Short  Hills,  N,  J.,  and  the  Richmond  Hill  Golf  Club,  of 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Long  Islaud.  In  1885  he  married  Sarah  Adams  Williams,  at  Eouen,  France, 
at  which  place  her  father  was  American  Consul. 

Elisha  K.  Camp  was  born  in  "Washington,  D.  C,  January  8,  1865.  He  is 
the  son  of  Captain  Elisha  Ely  Camp,  U.S.A.  His  grandfather  was  Colonel 
Elisha  Camp,  an  officer  in  the  United  States  Army  during  the  War  of  1812. 
Mr.  Camp  was  educated  at  Emerson  Institute  in  Washington,  and  at  the 
Peekskill  Military  Academy.  Graduating  from  the  latter  institution  he 
entered  the  Kensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  re- 
mained through  the  sophomore  year,  leaving  college  to  become  an  instructor 
in  the  Peekskill  Military  Academy.  Here  he  remained  one  year,  and  then 
removed  to  New  York  to  begin  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  ex-Senator 
Eoscoe  Conkling.  He  also  attended  the  Columbia  College  Law  School. 
From  the  latter  Mr.  Camp  graduated  in  1889.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
of  New  York  in  the  same  year.  While  in  no  respect  neglecting  his  legal  duties 
for  politics,  Mr.  Camp  has  been  active  and  influential  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Republican  party  in  the  Metropolis,  and  in  1897  was  honored  with  the  party 
nomination  for  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  City  Court  of  the  City  of  New 
York.  Mr.  Camji  has  acquired  a  lucrative  general  jjractice.  He  is  a  conser- 
vative, able  lawyer  of  high  standing  at  the  Bar.  An  attractive  personality 
has  brought  him  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  added  to  his  success.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 

L.  Sidney  Carrere,  born  in  New  York  City,  February  12,  1867,  comes  from 
ancestors  who  settled  in  Baltimore  in  1767  or  1768.  Through  his  father  he 
is  descended  from  Robert  Calhoun,  and  also  from  James  Walsh,  who  was 
United  States  Consul-General  to  Paris  under  Alexander  Hamilton.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  senior  member  of  the  old,  and,  in  its  time,  promi- 
nent law  firm  of  Carrere  &  Brunne,  of  Baltimore.  His  maternal  grandfather 
was  Joseph  Maxwell,  the  first  President  of  the  New  York  Coff"ee  Exchange. 
Mr.  Carrere 's  education  was  obtained  partly  at  home  and  partly  abroad.  He 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.A.  from  Columbia  University  in  1886, 
and  from  Columbia  Law  School  in  1888.  After  reading  law  in  the  office  of 
Charles  W.  Dayton  (subsequently  Postmaster  of  New  York  City),  he  began 
practice  alone,  and  made  no  permanent  business  connection  until  1895,  when 
the  firm  of  Nadal,  Smyth,  Carrere  &  Trafiford  w^as  formed.  He  conducts  a 
general  civil  practice,  and  has  been  counsel  in  many  important  cases.  Among 
the  latter  may  be  mentioned  that  of  Perkins  vs.  the  Fidelity  Casualty  Co.,  in 
which  case  the  Binghamton  Mutual  was  also  a  defendant.  He  also  managed 
a  satisfactory  disposal  of  the  business  affairs  of  the  Carrere  &  Haas  Iron 
Works,  which  went  into  insolvency,  involving  many  thousands  of  dollars. 
He  is  at  present  attorney  for  the  Fidelity  &  Casualty  Co.,  of  New  York,  the 
Rochester  &  Pittsburg  Coal  and  Iron  Co.,  the  Philadelphia  Coal  &  Coke  Co., 
and  several  extensive  estates.  Among  the  professional  and  social  organiza- 
tions of  which  he  is  a  member  are  the  New  York  Bar  Association,  the  Man- 


WALTER   STEUBEN  CARTER. 


TJie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


235 


hattan  Club  and  the  Staten  Island  Cricket  Club,  having  been  for  some  years  a 
goYernor  of  the  latter  club. 

Walter  S.  Carter  -was  born  in  Barkhamsted,  Conn.,  February  24,  1833. 
The  name  of  Carter  is  of  much  distinction  in  England,  occurring  frequently 
in  Burke's  Peerage,  and  apfjeariug  hundreds  of  times  upon  the  graduate  rolls 
of  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  Mr.  Carter's  paternal  American  ancestor  was 
Robert  Carter,  who  came  from  Bristol,  England,  to  Killingworth,  Conn., 
about  1700,  where  he  became  a  shipbuilder.  His  maternal  ancestor,  "William 
Taylor,  appeared  at  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  in  1648.  He  is  also  lineally  de- 
scended from  Elder  Brewster,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  and  his  ancestors  included 
many  of  the  most  distinguished  divines,  magistrates,  educators  and  soldiers 
in  the  Colonial  and  Eevolutionary  history  of  the  country.  After  receiving  a 
common-school  education,  Mr.  Carter  read  law  from  1850  to  1855,  teaching 
school  a  portion  of  the  time  to  obtain  means  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his 
legal  education.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Connecticut  in  1855,  and 
established  a  successful  practice  in  Middletown,  where  he  was  also  editor  and 
publisher  of  a  weekly  newspaper  called  the  "Argus. "  In  1858  he  moved  to 
Milwaukee,  where  he  became  a  legal  assistant  in  the  office  of  Finches,  Lyude 
&  Miller,  and  subsequently  in  that  of  ex-Chief  Justice  Hubbell.  In  1860  he 
formed  a  copartnership  with  William  G.  Whipple,  and  upon  its  dissolution, 
in  1863,  he  organized  the  firm  of  Carter,  Pitkin  k  Davis.  In  1859  he  com- 
piled and  published  the  "Wisconsin  Code  of  Procedure,"  which  was  in  gen- 
eral use  by  lawyers  in  that  State.  He  removed  to  Chicago  in  1869,  where  he 
became  head  of  the  firm  of  Carter,  Becker  <fe  Dale,  and  in  1871  came  to  New 
Tork  as  legal  representative  of  the  Chicago  creditors  of  the  fire  insurance  com- 
panies that  had  failed  because  of  the  Chicago  fire.  Since  coming  to  New 
York  his  partners  have  been  Judge  Leslie  W.  Russell,  now  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  Sherburne  B.  Eaton,  Eugene  H.  Lewis,  ex-Governor  D.  H.  Chamber- 
lain, William  B.  Hornblower,  James  Byrne,  Lloyd  W.  Bowers,  Paul  D. 
Cravath,  John  W.  Houston,  George  M.  Pinney,  Jr. ,  and  Frederic  R.  Kellogg. 
He  is  now  senior  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Carter,  Hughes  <fe  Dwight, 
which  also  includes  Charles  E.  Hughes,  Edward  F.  Dwight,  Arthur  C. 
Rounds,  Marshall  B.  Clarke,  George  W.  Schurman  and  Carl  A.  Hansmann. 
Politically  Mr.  Carter  has  been  a  Republican,  but  he  has  invariably  declined 
office,  with  the  single  exception  of  that  of  United  States  Commissioner  and 
Master  in  Chancery  of  the  United  States  Court  in  Wisconsin.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  since  1858,  and  is  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  New  Tork  Avenue  Church,  of  Brooklyn, 
to  which  he  presented,  in  1890,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  varied  organs  in 
the  world.  With  John  V.  Farwell  and  Morris  K.  Jesup  he  is  one  of  the  few 
surviving  members  of  that  great  charitable  organization,  the  Christian  Com- 
mission. He  is  a  noted  art  collector,  his  collection  of  engravings  and  etch- 
ings being  among  the  finest  in  the  country.    He  has  always  been  much  inter- 


236 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


ested  in  education,  Laving  served  on  school  and  college  boards,  and  he  is  now 
one  of  the  trustees  of  Syracuse  University.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  in  1892  succeeded  Dudley 
Buck  as  President  of  its  Department  of  Music,  which  has  a  membership  of 
nearly  2,000.  He  belongs  to  numerous  clubs  and  organizations,  including 
nearly  all  the  hereditary  patriotic  societies  of  the  country.  Mr.  Carter  has 
two  married  daugl'  ters  and  three  sous.  The  former  are  the  wives  of  Rev. 
E.  H.  Dickinson,  pastor  of  the  North  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Buffalo,  and  of 
Mr.  Hughes,  one  of  his  partners,  and  the  latter  are  Dr.  Colin  S.  Carter,  the 
well-known  dental  surgeon,  Walter  F.,  the  famous  Yale  pitcher,  now  a  lawyer, 
and  Leslie  T.,  who  is  reading  law  in  his  father's  office.  Mr.  Carter's  charac- 
teristics are  a  most  extraordinary  memory  for  names  and  faces,  a  marvelous 
familiarity  with  the  surroundings,  antecedents  and  character  of  prominent  men 
in  all  callings  of  life,  remarkable  readiness  and  alertness  of  mind  in  dealing 
with  the  practical  bearings  of  legal  questions,  and  exceptional  geniality  and 
cordiality  of  manner.  He  has  great  energy,  keen  knowledge  of  human  nature, 
splendid  judgment  of  men,  and  admirable  business  tact.  A  many-sided  man, 
he  is  chiefly  distinguished  for  having  had  around  him,  in  the  past  quarter  of 
a  century,  more  young  men  who  have  become  eminent  than  any  other  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Bar. 

David  K.  Case  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  the  year  1858,  his  parents 
being  Whitfield  Case  and  Catharine  A.  Peeves.  After  attending  the  Friends' 
School,  Seabury  Institute  in  Connecticut,  and  public  schools  in  New  York 
City,  he  entered  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1881.  Mr.  Case's  professional  efforts  have 
shown  him  to  be  a  thoroughly  equipped  lawyer,  with  great  ability  in  his 
calling,  and  his  methods  have  won  him  the  esteem  of  his  colleagues  and  the 
confidence  of  his  clients.  In  1894  he  became  and  is  now  associated  with  former 
Police  Commissioner  Andrew  D.  Parker.  Mr.  Case  is  much  interested  in 
military  afi"airs,  being  a  Major  in  the  famous  Twenty-third  Regiment,  National 
Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  is  also  well-known  in  the  social  life  of 
his  community,  being  a  member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  of  New  York, 
and  the  Crescent  Athletic  Club  of  Brooklyn.  In  politics  Mr.  Case  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  his  professional  and  social  duties  have  been  so  exacting  that  he  has 
taken  only  a  casual  interest  in  matters  political. 

James  Chambers  was  born  in  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  November  24,  1867. 
He  is  descended  on  his  paternal  side  from  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  while  his 
mother  was  a  member  of  a  Pennsylvania  family  of  high  standing  and  repute, 
actively  identified  with  the  early  history  of  the  Union.  He  attended  the 
Brooklyn  Collegiate  and  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  graduated  from  Amherst 
College  in  the  class  of  1889,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  "Magna 
Cum  Laude."  In  1893  he  received  from  his  alma  mater  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.    After  graduating  from  college  Mr.  Chambers  entered  the  Law  School 


EDWARD  S. 


CLINCH. 


ADOT.PH  COHEN. 


Tfie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


239 


of  Columbia  University,  but  upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Dwight,  he  completed 
his  course  in  the  New  York  Law  School,  securing  the  degree  of  LL.B  "With 
Honor' '  from  that  institution  in  1892.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  the 
same  year.  During  that  period  he  was  also  connected  with  the  office  of  ex- 
Judge  George  G.  Reynolds,  where  he  obtained  knowledge  of  office  and  Court 
procedure.  After  beginning  active  practice  of  the  law,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Gardner,  Chambers  &  Lathrop,  in  Brooklyn,  but  in  1896  Mr. 
Chambers  withdrew  from  the  firm  and  established  an  office  for  himself  in  New 
Tork.  He  confined  his  work  to  the  civil  department,  making  a  specialty  of 
Surrogate  practice  and  counsel  matters  in  appeal.  He  has  already  acquired  a 
large  practice,  and  among  the  promising  young  lawyers  who  have  graduated 
from  Amherst,  Mr.  Chambers  occupies  an  enviable  position.  He  resides  in 
his  native  City  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  is  well  known  socially,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  many  clubs  and  societies,  including  the  Union  League  Club,  the  Logan 
Club,  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and  Beta  Theta  Pi 
fraternities,  Roome  Lodge  No.  746,  F.  and  A.M.,  and  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No. 
8,  Eoyal  Arch  Masons. 

Edward  S.  Clinch  was  born  in  the  City  of  New  York  (Borough  of  Man- 
hattan), November  8,  1846.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
City,  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  the  Columbia  College  Law 
School,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  in  the  class  of  1867.  He  entered 
the  office  of  Albon  P.  Man  and  John  E.  Parsons  in  1865,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  in  1868.  This  firm  was  one  of  the  more  prominent  of  the  law  firms 
of  the  City,  and  the  extent  of  its  business  was  exceeded  by  few.  He  served 
as  Managing  Clerk  of  the  firm,  and  this  important  position  brought  him  into 
constant  professional  relations  with  the  Bench  and  a  large  proportion  of  the 
Bar,  which  have  been  continued  to  the  present  time.  He  remained  with 
Messrs.  Man  k  Parsons  until  October,  1871,  when  he  established  his  own 
office.  From  the  outset  he  has  had  a  large  civil  practice,  giving  particular 
attention  to  commercial  and  real  estate  cases,  and  he  has  also  had  an  extensive 
practice  in  the  Surrogate's  Courts.  He  has  closed  many  estates,  supervised 
large  real  estate  transactions,  and  been  very  successful  in  settling  out-of-court 
suits  involving  important  and  valuable  interests  in  property  in  this  and  in 
other  States.  His  clients  include  many  charitable  and  religious  institutions, 
to  the  guardianship  of  whose  affairs  he  devotes  a  great  deal  of  time  and  solic- 
itous care.  He  belongs  to  a  number  of  professional  and  social  institutions, 
including  the  State  and  City  Bar  Associations,  Hardware  Club,  Quill  Club, 
and  the  Lenox  Republican  Club.  In  1869  he  married  the  daughter  of  James 
L.  Todd,  who  was  well  known  as  a  dry  goods  merchant  in  New  York,  and  has 
three  children. 

Adolph  Cohen,  a  well-known  and  successful  member  of  the  New  York  Bar, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1855.  While  quite  young  he  came  to  the  City  of 
New  York,  where  he  received  his  education.    After  completing  the  course  in 


240 


New  York:  The  Second  Cily  of  the  World. 


Grammar  School  No.  42  of  this  City,  he  entered  successively  the  College  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  aud  the  Columbia  Law  School,  graduating  from  the 
former  in  1874  with  the  degree  of  B.S.,  and  from  the  latter  in  1876  with  the 
degree  of  LL.B.  He  then  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  Peter  Mitchell  for 
the  perfection  of  his  legal  studies,  aud  while  yet  an  office  clerk,  at  the  age  of 
tweutj^-two,  he  won  two  reversals  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  which  drew  atten- 
tion to  his  decided  talent  as  a  lawyer.  Judge  Mitchell  recognized  the  ability 
of  young  Cohen,  and  admitted  him  to  partnership  under  the  style  of  Mitch- 
ell &  Cohen,  which  relations  were  maintained  until  1884.  Since  that  time 
he  has  practiced  alone,  conducting  a  general  civil  and  real  estate  practice. 
His  offices  are  now  at  220  Broadway,  Borough  of  Manhattan,  New  York  City. 
He  is  an  orthodox  Hebrew,  and  ten  years  ago  was  attorney  for  nearly  all  the 
orthodox  Hebrew  congregations  in  the  City.  He  was  retained  as  counsel  for 
the  bondholders  of  the  St.  Louis  &  Chicago  Railway  Company  on  the  claim 
of  fraud  in  foreclosing  the  trust  mortgage  and  won  the  suit.  He  was  also 
associate  counsel  in  the  Cochran  murder  trial.  He  has,  however,  especially 
devoted  himself  to  the  trial  of  accident  cases,  in  which  branch  of  the  law  he 
has  achieved  marked  success.  He  belongs  to  a  number  of  benevolent  and 
social  organizations,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  In  1879  he 
married  a  daughter  of  Kolman  Hirschman,  an  old  and  prominent  merchant  of 
Cincinnati,  O.,  and  has  two  daughters. 

John  C.  Coleman  was  born  in  New  York  Citj^  August  25,  1859.  After 
receiving  a  private  school  education,  he  entered  Williston  Seminary,  East- 
hampton,  Mass.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1876,  aud  then  took  a  col- 
lege course  at  Yale,  taking  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  the  class  of  1881. 
His  college  course  was  conspicuous  for  proficiency  in  studies  and  activity  in 
fraternal  and  society  matters,  especially  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  fraternity, 
the  Skiill  and  Bones  Society,  and  the  "Yale  Literary  Magazine, ".  of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  editors.  His  legal  training  was  obtained  in  Columbia  Law 
School,  from  which  he  secured  his  Bachelor  of  Laws  degree  in  1883,  and  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  the  same  year.  Mr.  Coleman  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  general  civil  practice,  and  made  a  specialty  of  corporation,  mercantile 
assignment  and  equity  causes.  His  offices  are  located  in  the  American  Surety 
Building,  100  Broadway.  Mr.  Coleman  is  an  ardent  Eepublican,  but  has 
never  sought  or  held  political  office,  confining  his  efforts  to  assisting  in  the 
success  of  the  party  with  which  he  has  always  been  affiliated.  He  is  esteemed 
and  respected  in  legal  circles  and  popular  in  clubdom,  his  membership  in  the 
latter  including  the  Bar  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the  West  End 
Association,  the  Union  League,  Yale  and  West  Side  Eepublican  Clubs.  Mr. 
Coleman  was  married  in  1884,  has  a  family  of  two  children,  and  resides  at 
No.  167  West  Seventy-third  street.  Since  1884  he  has  been  prominent  in 
the  work  of  the  West  End  Association  of  property  owners,  for  which  he  is 
counsel. 


ROWLAND  COX. 


TJie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


243 


Eowland  Cox  is  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  born  July  9,  1842. 
In  the  fall  of  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Fifteenth  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry  Volunteers,  and  served  with  that  regiment,  and  upon  detached  duty 
for  about  a  year.  Then  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  with 
the  rank  of  Captain,  and  assigned  to  duty  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Army  Corps,  serving  upon  the  statf  of  Major-General  McPherson,  and  at 
a  later  date  upon  the  staff  of  Major-General  Frank  P.  Blair.  Captain  Cos's  mil- 
itary duties  had  interrupted  his  college  course  at  Princeton,  but  he  received 
his  diploma  with  the  class  of  '64,  and  two  years  later  was  admitted  to  the  Bar. 
Since  his  admission  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  been  identified  with  many  of  the  most  important  cases  relat- 
ing to  unfair  competition,  trade-marks  and  copyrights  that  have  been  tried  in 
this  country.  Among  the  cases  in  which  he  has  appeared  for  the  complain- 
ant, and  in  which  injunctions  have  been  granted,  may  be  mentioned  the  fol- 
lowing: Sawyer  17S.  Horn  (1  Fed.  Eep.  24);  Anheuser-Busch  Brewing  Ass'n 
vs.  Piza  (24  lb.  149) ;  Menendez  vs.  Holt  (128  U.  S.  514),  a  leading  case  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States ;  Celluloid  Man.  Co.  vs.  Cellonite 
Man.  Co.  (32  Fed.  Rep.  94),  an  important  case  decided  by  Mr.  Justice 
Bradley ;  Enoch  Morgan's  Sons  Co.  vs.  Wendover  (43  Fed.  Eep.  420) ; 
Black  vs.  Henry  G.  Allen  Co.  (42  Fed.  Eep.  618,  56  Fed.  Eep.  764),  known 
as  the  "Britannica  Cases, "  in  which  the  reproduction  of  the  copyrighted 
articles  which  constitute  a  part  of  the  "Encyclopaedia  Britannica"  was  re- 
strained; Talk  vs.  Gast  Lithographing  Co.  (48  Fed.  Eep.  262),  an  important 
copyright  case  decided  by  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  for  the 
Second  Circuit ;  Untermeyer  vs.  Freund,  a  case  decided  by  the  same  court,  in 
which  the  law  of  design  patents  was  expounded ;  Clark  Thread  Co.  vs.  Armit- 
age  (74  Fed.  Eep.  936),  a  case  relating  to  unfair  competition  in  the  same  Court; 
N.  K.  Fairbank  Co.  vs.  E.  W.  Bell  Man.  Co.  (77  Fed.  Eep.  896),  also  in 
the  same  Court,  in  which  the  decree  of  the  Court  below  was  reversed,  and 
what  was  in  some  aspects  a  new  rule  was  announced;  Walter  Baker  &  Co., 
Limited,  vs.  Sanders,  also  in  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  for 
the  Second  Circuit,  in  which  the  use  by  the  defendant  of  his  own  name  was 
effectually  regulated.  Mention  should  also  be  made  of  the  case  of  Johnson  & 
Johnson  vs.  Bauer  &  Black,  decided  by  the  United  State  Circuit  Court  of 
Appeals  for  the  Seventh  Circuit,  and  Eaymondus.  Eoyal  Baking  Powder  Co., 
decided  by  the  same  Court,  in  which  injunctions  were  granted  to  protect  the 
reputation  of  the  complainants.  In  all  of  these  cases,  and  many  others,  Mr. 
Cox  has  represented  the  complainant,  and  has  contended  successfully  for  the 
broadest  possible  recognition  and  application  of  the  maxims  of  equity. 

Elbert  Crandall  was  born  in  Fairville,  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  January  4, 
1858.  After  passing  through  the  public  schools,  he  received  an  academic 
education  at  the  Newark  Academy,  and  then  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the 
offices  of  Camp  &  Dunwell,  at  Lyons,  N.  Y.    Mr.  Crandall' s  professional 


244-  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  Worla. 

initiation  was  obtained  under  very  favorable  auspices.  The  firm  of  Camp  & 
Dunwell  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  that  part  of  the  State,  both  mem- 
bers having  achieved  public  distinction.  Mr.  Camp  was  a  man  not  only  of 
great  professional  ability,  but  was  a  leading  Kepublican  and  a  Member  of  Con- 
gress for  three  successive  terms ;  and  Mr.  Dunwell  has  been  elevated  to  the 
Supreme  Court  Bench  of  the  State,  being  Justice  in  the  Seventh  Judicial  Dis- 
trict. Under  the  guidance  of  these  men,  Mr.  Crandall  acquired  the  requisite 
familiarity  with  the  principles  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Koches- 
ter  in  1882.  The  following  year  he  came  to  New  York,  and  became  associated 
with  Chauncey  S.  Truax  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  On  February  1, 
1890,  Mr.  Truax  formed  a  partnership  with  him  under  the  firm  name  of 
Truax  &  Crandall,  these  relations  continuing  unchanged  for  eight  years,  except 
during  the  year  1895,  when  the  senior  partner's  brother.  Judge  Charles  H. 
Truax,  was  also  a  partner.  This  firm  had  charge  of  much  active  and  impor- 
tant litigation,  and  was  counsel  for  extensive  commercial  and  corporate  inter- 
ests. On  January  1,  1898,  Mr.  Crandall  retired  from  the  firm,  and  with 
Senator  Thomas  F.  Grady  and  Nelson  Smith,  formed  the  law  firm  of  Grady, 
Smith  &  Crandall.  In  politics  Mr.  Crandall  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  an 
active  member  of  Tammany  Hall  and  the  Democratic  and  Manhattan  Clubs, but, 
wedded  to  his  profession,  he  has  neither  sought  nor  held  political  ofiice,  and 
his  undivided  application  to  the  interests  of  his  firm  has  won  for  him  the 
unreserved  confidence  of  their  clients  and  the  respect  of  the  Bar.  He  is  a 
prominent  Mason,  and  is  Chief  Commissioner  of  Appeals  of  the  Grand  Lodge, 
F.  &.  A.  M.,  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Daniel  S.  Decker  was  born  at  Blooming  Prairie,  Minn.,  February  28,  1861. 
His  childhood  was  saddened  by  the  death  of  his  mother  when  he  was  but 
three  years  of  age,  and  six  years  later  by  the  loss  of  his  father  also.  He 
secured  employment  on  a  farm  at  the  age  of  nine,  and  for  the  succeeding 
seven  years  he  worked  and  studied  as  opportunity  permitted.  With  that 
earnest  desire  for  improvement  so  often  characteristic  of  real  ability  strug- 
gling under  hard  conditions  in  childhood,  he  began  to  teach  school  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  and  continued  this  vocation  one  year.  In  1878  Mr.  Decker  removed 
to  New  York,  but  lost  no  opportunity  to  increase  his  own  store  of  knowledge, 
and  succeeded  in  pursuing  a  course  of  commercial  and  legal  study,  including  a 
year's  course  in  medicine,  and  later  taking  up  the  study  of  law,  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  of  this  State  in  1889,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced  his  pro- 
fession with  marked  success,  being,  in  1892,  admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Decker  has  been  connected  with  many  large  real 
estate  transactions  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  and  his  experience  and  judg- 
ment of  values  are  constantly  sought.  As  a  lawyer  he  has  already  attained  a 
high  reputation.  He  is  a  wise,  reliable  and  energetic  attorney,  judicial  as  a 
counselor,  and  especially  expert  in  the  laws  of  corporations  and  real  estate. 
The  self-reliance  that  surmounts  obstacles  and  the  ability  that  impresses  others 


DANIEL   S.  DECKER. 


A.    J.  DITTENHOEFER. 


I 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


247 


have  brought  to  Mr.  Decker,  unaided,  the  success  he  deserves,  after  the  varied 
experiences  of  farmer,  teacher,  merchant,  commercial  traveler  and  book- 
keeper. His  interests  in  the  metropolis  are  now  large  and  varied.  He  is 
active  in  promoting  matters  of  local  and  national  public  interest  and  concern, 
and  naturally  an  earnest  worker  in  the  various  phases  of  educational  progress. 
Since  1882  he  has  been  prominent  in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is  Yice- 
President  of  the  Grand  Conservatory  of  Music  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and 
an  officer  in  various  corporations. 

A.  J.  Dittenhoefer  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  March  17,  1836.  His  an- 
cestry is  German.  His  parents  removed  to  New  York  City  when  he  was  but 
four  years  of  age,  and  he  has  since  resided  here  continuously.  After  receiv- 
ing his  early  education  at  the  public  schools,  he  entered  Columbia  Grammar 
School,  and  later  graduated  with  honors  from  Columbia  College,  displaying 
phenomenal  proficiency  in  Latin  and  Greek.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York,  and  within  a  year  afterward  was 
selected  as  the  candidate  of  the  Republican  party  for  Judge  of  the  City  Court. 
Upon  the  death  of  Judge  Florence  McCarthy,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Fenton  to  the  position  upon  the  City  Bench  thus  vacated.  Learning  that  the 
family  of  his  predecessor  had  been  left  in  destitute  circumstances,  Judge  Dit- 
tenhoefer donated  to  them  his  entire  salary.  Such  acts  of  kindness  and 
generosity  have  been  characteristic  of  his  career.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
term,  he  declined  a  renomination,  and  was  elected  in  1864  a  Presidential 
Elector  for  Lincoln  and  Johnson,  and  had  the  honor  of  casting  his  elec- 
toral vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  friendship. 
Judge  Dittenhoefer  declined  the  position  offered  him  by  President  Lincoln 
of  United  States  Judge  for  the  District  of  South  Carolina,  owing  to  the  exact- 
ing requirements  of  his  large  practice.  In  1875  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Cincinnati  Convention  which  nominated  Hayes  and  Wheeler.  Though  a 
Southerner  by  birth.  Judge  Dittenhoefer  joined  the  Republican  party  at  its 
birth,  supporting  the  election  of  John  C.  Fremont,  the  first  Republican  candi- 
date for  President,  and  for  many  years  has  been  active  and  influential  in  its 
councils,  being  Chairman  for  twelve  years  of  the  German  Republican  Central 
Committee.  As  a  lawyer  and  jurist  he  has  gained  high  reputation.  While 
his  services  have  been  in  demand  for  all  classes  of  legal  procedure,  and  he  has 
been  prominent  as  counsel  in  many  of  the  most  important  corporation  and 
commercial  cases,  he  is  recognized  as  an  authority  in  laws  relating  to  the 
drama  and  the  stage.  Largely  through  the  efforts  of  Judge  Dittenhoefer,  the 
law  giving  the  license  fees  collected  from  theatres  to  the  Society  for  the  Re- 
form of  Juvenile  Criminals  was  repealed,  and  this  stigma  removed  from  the 
theatrical  profession.  The  fees  have  since  been  given  to  the  Actors'  Fund. 
In  recognition  of  these  services,  he  was  presented  with  a  testimonial,  and  with 
Dr.  Houghton  and  ex-President  Cleveland,  elected  an  honorary  member.  He 
was  conspicuous  in  the  defense  of  the  Washington  newspaper  correspondents, 


248 


New  York:  The  Second  CiUj  of  the  World. 


and  of  Elverton  E.  Chapman,  of  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Schley,  and  the  other 
persons  who  were  indicted  for  refusing  to  answer  the  questions  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  United  States  Senate  investigating  what  was  known  as  the  Sugar 
Scandal,  and  gained  a  notable  victory  of  permanent  value  to  the  Press.  He 
was  married  in  1856,  and  has  a  family  consisting  of  four  daughters  and  one 
son,  who  is  one  of  his  partners ;  the  firm  being  Dittenhoefer,  Gerber  &  James. 

Arthur  Furber  is  one  of  the  comparatively  few  members  of  the  profession  in 
New  York  City  who  are  natives  of  England.  He  is  a  "cockney"  by  birth, 
having  been  born  within  the  shadow  of  the  Courts  of  Chancery  in  Lincoln's 
Inn,  London,  on  May  18,  1850.  He  first  studied  law  in  that  city,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1870.  At  first  he  went  west,  having  located  in  Chicago, 
but,  tired  of  the  "Windy  City,"  returned  to  New  York  about  1873,  when  he 
became  engaged  in  the  commercial  agency  and  collection  business.  Possess- 
ing great  aptitude  for  the  law,  he  again  took  up  his  studies  for  the  Bar  under 
the  tuition  of  the  late  Isaac  Van  "Winkle,  and  was  admitted  as  an  attorney  and 
counsellor  at  law  in  May,  1881.  He  immediately  entered  into  active  practice, 
and  while  proving  that  he  had  a  broad  knowledge  of  the  general  field  of  law, 
he  soon  became  a  recognized  authority  in  trade-mark  and  commercial  litiga- 
tion. In  1892  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  United  States  Courts.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club.  He  is  a 
direct  descendant  from  the  French  Huguenots,  his  ancestor  having  been  one 
of  the  leaders  of  that  sect  who  fled  to  England  after  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew.     He  is  married  to  a  French  lady,  and  has  two  children. 

Henry  J.  Furlong  was  born  near  Gibraltar,  September  1,  1863.  He  was 
the  third  son  of  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  British  Army,  Major  the  Hon. 
Charles  Harman  Furlong,  of  the  British  Diplomatic  Service,  who  during  the 
stormy  times  of  the  Spanish  Carlist  Rebellion,  held  the  position  of  British 
Consul  at  Jerez-de-la-Frontera,  near  Cadiz,  safeguarding  the  interests  of 
American  and  British  residents.  Soon  after  the  cessation  of  those  hostilities, 
and  about  the  year  1869,  he  was  sent  to  England  to  receive  his  education,  and 
there  entered  the  Liverpool  College,  under  the  well-  known  divine,  Dr.  Butler, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  and  subsequently  entered  King's  College,  London,  under  Dr. 
George  McLear,  now  Dean  of  Canterbury.  Soon  after  that  it  was  his  inten- 
tion to  join  the  Eoyal  Artillery  at  Woolwich ;  but  by  inheritance  and  associa- 
tion with  his  father,  he  had  strong  diplomatic  tendencies,  and  a  diplomatic 
appointment  to  British  India  at  this  juncture  diverted  him  from  a  military 
career.  During  his  five  years'  residence  in  India,  he  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  now  celebrated  Eudyard  Kipling,  then  a  zealous  newspaper  correspon- 
dent and  writer,  completely  mastered  the  East  Indian  language,  and  secured 
many  valued  friends.  His  travels  throughout  the  valleys  of  the  Punjab,  the 
Vale  of  Cashmere,  the  northern  Indian  frontier,  Peshawur,  and  the  dreaded 
Khyber  Pass,  the  fertile  plains  of  the  Ganges,  Bengal,  Madras,  the  Presidency 
of  Bombay  and  Scinde,  and  even  to  Ceylon,  greatly  broadened  the  experience 


HENRY  J.  FURLONG. 


Tlie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


251 


and  enlarged  the  views  acquired  during  his  European  travels  in  college  days. 
After  returning  to  England  he  resolved  to  settle  in  the  United  States,  and 
upon  reaching  the  American  Continent  he  made  several  journeys  throughout 
the  country,  visiting  the  Eocky  Mountains,  the  Northwestern  wheat-producing 
plains,  and  much  of  our  fine  Western  lands.  He  finally  entered  the  Metrop- 
olis Law  School  of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  graduated  with 
honors,  and  he  was  thereafter  further  honored  by  receiving  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  City  of  New  York  the  degree  of  LL.B.  During  much  of  this  time 
Mr.  Furlong,  while  an  ardent  student,  held  a  position  as  credit  man  for  one  of 
the  largest  wholesale  houses  in  New  Y'ork ;  and  it  was  only  upon  his  admis- 
sion to  the  Bar  in  1894  that  he  relinquished  mercantile  pursuits  and  com- 
menced the  active  practice  of  his  profession.  The  experience  gained  and  the 
many  friends  made  by  Mr.  Furlong  prior  to  that  time  stood  him  in  good 
stead  when  he  embarked  upon  his  professional  career,  so  that  the  long  period 
of  waiting  for  recognition  and  success  which  is  so  frequently  the  lot  of  young 
lawyers,  was  never  encountered  by  him ;  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law 
acquired  under  distinguished  professors,  coupled  with  much  natural  ability, 
a  pleasing  address  and  wide  popularity  brought  their  own  reward.  A  year 
after  his  admission  to  the  Bar,  the  volume  of  his  i)rofessional  work 
had  become  so  great  that  he  formed  with  Elmer  S.  "White  the  partnership 
of  Furlong  &  White,  since  which  time  the  firm  has  been  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  John  J.  O'Connell,  and  is  now  Furlong,  White  k  O'Connell. 
The  general  practice  of  the  firm  is  large,  and  they  occupy  an  extensive 
suite  of  ofiices  at  No.  346  Broadway.  Mr.  Furlong  himself  makes 
a  specialty  of  commercial,  admiralty  and  probate  law,  and  is  frequently 
obliged,  by  the  scope  of  his  business,  to  visit  Europe,  where  he  still  has  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  As  an  indication  of  natural  bent,  it 
is  of  interest  to  recall  that  Mr.  Furlong  is  descended  from  an  illustrious 
ancestry  skilled  in  the  law,  and  while  on  his  paternal  side  he  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  the  Countess  of  Leigh,  as  a  loyal  American  he  prefers  to  assume 
no  titles  inconsistent  with  the  ideas  of  true  Americanism.  In  politics  Mr. 
Furlong  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club,  as 
well  as  of  the  Twenty-first  Assembly  District  Democratic  Club  in  the  Borough 
of  Brooklyn.  He  is  also  a  Free  Mason,  belonging  to  Adelphi  Lodge  of  New 
York  City.  Captain  Charles  A.  Furlong,  formerly  an  officer  of  the  United 
States  International  Mail  Liner  "New  York, "  and  who  now  commands  the 
United  States  Transport  "Catania,"  in  the  Spanish- American  War,  is  an  only 
brother,  while  Mr.  Furlong's  venerable  mother,  who  is  the  eldest  daughter  of 
the  well-known  and  much  respected  physician  Dr.  Macdowal,  is  still  a  wealthy 
resident  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Helen  N.  Furlong,  ?(ee  Law- 
son,  is  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  most  accomplished  lawyers  in  Great  Britain. 
Mr.  Furlong  resides  in  Brooklyn  Borough,  and  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the 
social  affairs  of  his  community. 


252 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Nelson  Goodwin  Green,  who  was  born  in  Dansville,  N.  Y.,  is  a  lineal 
descendant  of  pioneer  New  England  ancestry.  His  earliest  progenitor  in  the 
direct  paternal  line,  Thomas  Green,  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Maiden, 
Mass.,  fifteen  years  in  the  wake  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  His  intermediate 
ancestors  all  took  active  parts  in  the  development  of  the  Colonies  and  States. 
His  grandfather,  Arnold  Green,  was  a  patriot  of  the  American  Kevolution, 
responding  to  the  first  call  to  arms,  and  participating  in  the  opening  battle  at 
Lexington,  when  "the  embattled  farmers"  fired  the  "shot  heard  round  the 
world. ' '  Arnold  Green  was  removed  but  three  degrees  from  Thomas  Green, 
the  Fighting  Parson,  who  was  identified  with  Cotton  Mather  and  the  Salem 
Withcraft  trials.  This  branch  of  the  Green  family  are  lineal  descendants  of 
the  English  Lords  of  Drayton,  and  spell  the  name  as  did  their  lineal  ancestor, 
Henry  Green,  Chief  Justice  of  England.  N.  G.  Green,  after  receiving  an 
education  in  the  common  English  branches  in  the  schools  at  Amherst,  Mass., 
entered  Amherst  College  in  the  class  of  1877,  and  subsequently  studied  law  in 
the  Columbia  Law  School,  graduating  in  1880.  In  the  latter  year  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  at  the  Bar  of  New  York,  his  college  course  having  been 
supplemented  by  law  reading  in  London,  England,  for  one  year,  and  in  the 
offices  of  Judge  Fullerton,  Knox  &  Crosby,  and  Knox  &  McLean.  Taking  up 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  he  devoted  himself  particularly  to  corporation 
law,  and  to  that  branch  of  his  profession  dealing  specifically  with  municipal 
finances,  of  which  he  has  made  a  special  study.  In  none  of  his  business  rela- 
tions, however,  have  his  qualifications  as  an  organizer  appeared  so  con- 
spicuously, perhaps,  as  in  his  connection  with  driven  wells — an  invention  of 
his  father,  Col.  Nelson  W.  Green.  The  latter  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point, 
where  he  was  a  classmate  of  General  U.  S.  Grant.  During  his  army  career, 
while  camped  on  the  plains,  the  troops  of  his  command  were  threatened  with 
a  water  famine,  and  Mr.  Green  conceived  the  idea  of  driving  tubes  into  the 
ground  until  he  struck  subterranean  currents  of  water.  The  experiment 
proved  a  success,  and  as  is  well  known,  this  clever  invention  was  soon  in  use 
all  over  the  United  States.  The  numerous  infringements  on  the  driven-well 
patents  and  the  subsequent  suits  for  their  protection  added  further  to  the 
national  interest  in  this  method  of  obtaining  water.  Nelson  G.  Green  en- 
listed heartily  in  the  defense  of  his  father's  interests,  and  had  charge  of  the 
organization  of  the  numerous  force  of  attorneys  and  agents  throughout  the 
United  States,  through  whom  the  royalties,  amounting  to  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars,  are  collected.  In  this  connection  he  displayed  uncommon 
ability  as  a  lawyer  and  business  man,  and  in  consequence  of  this  and  other 
professional  work,  enjoys  a  high  reputation  at  the  Bar.  Among  the  social 
and  other  organizations  to  which  he  belongs  are  the  Lotus  Club,  Manhattan 
Club,  Catholic  Club,  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,  and 
several  dining  clubs.  In  July,  1895,  he  married  Miss  Goldthwaite,  daughter 
of  a  prominent  wool  manufacturer  of  Salem,  Mass. 


NELSON   G.  GREEN. 


Hie  Bench  and  Bar  of  Neio  York. 


255 


Michael  C.  Gross  was  born  in  1838  in  New  York  City.  He  was  educated 
in  the  English  and  German  languages  in  the  institutions  of  this  City,  and 
perfected  his  studies  under  private  teachers.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began 
his  legal  career,  in  the  office  of  Daniel  Ullman  and  Charles  C.  Egan,  making 
such  rapid  progress  that  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  taken  into  partnership 
by  his  preceptors,  and  in  1859  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  Concurrently  with 
the  progress  in  his  profession,  he  became  prominent  in  Democratic  politics, 
and  won  recognition  as  a  leader  of  the  German  element  of  the  City.  From 
1861  to  1864  inclusive  he  was  a  Councilman  from  the  Fifth  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict. In  1865  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Marine  (now  City)  Court,  and 
re-elected  in  1869  by  the  large  majority  of  52,000.  Judge  Gross'  decision, 
subsequently  sustained  by  the  Supreme  Court,  that  contracts  providing  for 
payment  in  gold  could  not  be  satisfied  with  greenbacks,  was  published  and 
commented  upon  in  both  Europe  and  America.  Judge  Gross  abolished  many 
evils  which  had  existed  in  the  Marine  Court,  and  when  he  resumed  his  private 
practice  he  carried  with  him  the  high  respect  of  both  the  Bench  and  the  Bar. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Bar  Association,  Liederkranz  and 
Deutsche  Verein,  and  is  a  Director  of  the  German  Hospital,  Isabella  Home, 
and  other  organizations. 

Henry  A.  Gumbleton  was  born  in  New  York  City,  September  14,  1846. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  metropolis  and  in  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1863.  Two  years 
after  his  graduation  he  was  appointed  Private  Secretary  to  County  Clerk  W. 
C.  Conner,  in  which  position  he  displayed  so  much  assiduity  and  ability  that 
in  1866  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  Assistant  Deputy,  and  in  1870  to 
that  of  Deputy  County  Clerk.  Democratic  in  his  political  principles,  he 
soon  became  affiliated  with  Tammany  Hall,  of  the  general  committee  of  which 
he  became  a  member  in  1873.  In  1875  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  Works,  which  position  he  held  until  January  1,  1876,  when 
he  assumed  the  office  of  County  Clerk,  having  been  elected  at  the  general  elec- 
tion in  the  November  previous.  Since  1879  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  gen- 
eral practice  of  law,  devoting  himself  largely  to  the  line  of  real  estate,  cor- 
poration and  condemnation  law.  He  has  been  actively  connected  since  1885 
with  all  matters  relating  to  the  public  improvements  of  the  north  side  of  the 
City,  now  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  is  Counsel  for  the  Twenty-third 
Ward  Property  Owners'  Association,  Vice-President  of  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  and  a  member  of  the  Democratic,  Sagamore,  and  Tallapoosa  Fish- 
ing Clubs.    Mr.  Gumbleton's  wife  died  two  years  ago. 

Andrew  S.  Hamersley  is  a  great-great-great-grandson  of  William  Living- 
ston, the  last  royal  governor  of  New  Jersey,  who  spurned  the  offer  of  the 
title  of  Marquis  and  became  Brigadier-General  of  New  Jersey  Militia  in  1775. 
In  1776  he  was  elected  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  was  re-elected  annually 
until  his  death  in  1790.    Other  ancestors,  direct  and  collateral,  were  dis- 


256 


New  York:  The  Second  Citij  of  the  World. 


tinguisbed  in  the  history  of  the  City  and  Nation,  one  of  them  being  Philip 
Livingston,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Andrew  S.  Hamer- 
sley  was  born  in  New  York  November  20,  1853,  and  received  his  preliminary 
education  at  Sellick's  School,  Norwalk,  Conn.  His  legal  studies  were  pur- 
sued at  Columbia  College  Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1875. 
He  immediately  entered  the  office  of  the  late  es-Judge  of  the  Superior  Court, 
Samuel  Jones,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since.  He  has  charge  of  a  number 
of  valuable  estates,  probably  not  exceeded  by  any  lawyer  of  his  age,  and  has 
a  high  reputation  as  an  administrator.  He  has  enjoyed  several  notable  public 
honors.  At  the  time  of  the  Johnstown  disaster  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Eelief 
Fund  Committee,  which  received  many  flattering  compliments  from  the  press 
and  people.  In  1889  Mayor  Grant  appointed  him  Treasurer  of  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge,  but  the  exactions  of  a  large  practice  compelled  him  to  decline  the 
honor.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the  General  and 
Organization  Committees  of  Tammany  Hall.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic, Press,  Knickerbocker  Bowling,  New  York  Athletic,  Iroquois  and  Seneca 
Clubs,  the  Sons  of  the  Eevolution,  and  the  American  Horse  Exchange. 

Louis  Hanneman  was  born  in  New  York  City,  October  22,  1858,  and  was 
educated  successively  in  the  public  schools,  the  De  la  Salle  Institute  of  the 
Christian  Brothers,  and  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  read  law 
in  the  office  of  ex-Judge  Michael  C.  Gross,  and  then  entered  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1879.  Upon  his  admission  to  the  Bar,  he  made  a 
specialty  of  commercial  and  corporation  law,  and  applied  himself  with  such 
success  to  those  branches  that  ho  was  appointed  Corporation  Attorney  for  the 
City  of  New  York  in  1891.  His  administration,  which  gave  general  satisfac- 
tion, was  remarkable  for  the  fact  that  while  he  collected  less  for  violation  of 
the  City  ordinances,  he  turned  over  to  the  Charity  Commissioners  more 
money  than  any  former  incumbent.  He  resigned  his  position  in  January, 
1895.  Mr.  Hanneman  has  always  been  actively  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  for  many  years,  until  1886,  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Tam- 
many Hall  General  Committee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Tammany  and 
Donehogewa  Clubs,  the  Gravesend  Bay  Yacht  Club,  the  Masonic  Order,  Odd 
Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Koyal  Arcanum,  Eichen-Kranz  Singing  Society, 
and  the  Municipal  Art  Society.  He  has  extensive  business  connections  out- 
side of  his  profession,  being  identified  with  several  Western  industries,  and 
a  Director  in  the  Ne  Plus  Ultra  and  the  Little  Joe  Mining  Companies  of 
Montana.  He  was  married  in  March,  1889.  Mr.  Hanneman  has  a  beautiful 
summer  residence  at  Bath  Beach,  L.  I.,  where  he  is  the  President  of  the 
Bath  Beach  Real  Estate  Owners'  Association. 

George  S.  Hastings,  265  Broadway,  was  born  at  Mt.  Morris,  Livingston 
County,  N.  Y.,  September  24,  1836.  He  received  an  advanced  education  at 
Hamilton  College,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1857,  among  whose  forty  mem- 


HENRY.    A.  GUMBLETON. 


ANDREW   S.  HAMERSI.EY. 


LOUIS   HANNEMAN.  GEORGE   S.  HASTINGS. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


26 1 


bers  ho  ranked  eighth.  On  leaving  college  he  spent  two  years  preparing  for 
the  legal  profession,  and  in  December,  1859,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at 
Kochester,  N.  Y.  Soon  after  the  War  broke  out,  he  went  to  the  front  as  First 
Lieutenant  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Battery  of  Light  Artillery,  serving  two  years 
and  five  months  from  August,  1862.  For  one  year  of  that  period  he  was 
Judge  Advocate.  He  was  captured  at  the  Battle  of  Plymouth  in  April,  1864, 
escaped  in  August,  was  recaptured  in  October  and  again  escaped.  After 
thirty-four  days  of  adventures  and  hardships  in  South  Carolina,  North 
Carolina  and  East  Tennessee,  he  reached  the  Union  Lines  near  Knoxville, 
Tenn.,  November  13,  186-1.  He  reported  for  duty,  but  was  appointed  Military 
Secretary  to  Governor  Fenton,  of  New  York.  In  January,  1865,  he  was  bre- 
vetted  Colonel  of  Volunteers.  At  Governor  Fenton's  request  he  was  mustered 
out  and  was  appointed  the  Governor's  Private  Secretary,  which  position  he 
held  until  he  resigned  in  1868.  He  then  came  to  New  York  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  is  now  head  of  the  law  firm  of  Hastings  & 
Gleason.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Kepublican.  He  belongs  to  several  pro- 
fessional and  social  organizations,  including  the  Lawyers'  and  University 
Clubs  of  New  York,  the  Washington  Association  of  New  Jersey,  and  the 
Morris  Golf  and  Morristowu  Field  Clubs.  He  married  Harriet  Mills  South- 
worth,  of  New  Haven,  Conn. ,  daughter  of  Wells  Southworth,  the  oldest  paper 
manufacturer  in  New  England,  and  has  four  children. 

Morris  H.  Hay  man  was  born  in  New  York  City,  March  5,  1864.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York,  and  later  entered  the  College  of 
the  City  of  New  York  with  the  class  of  '82,  graduating  with  honors,  and  at 
the  commencement  received  several  medals  for  proficiency  in  various  studies. 
After  graduating  he  taught  school  and  read  law  for  several  years,  subsequently 
attending  the  New  York  University  Law  School,  and  graduating  in  1888,  as 
an  honor  man.  Mr.  Hay  man  at  once  formed  a  partnership  with  Alexander 
Rosenthal,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hayman  &  Rosenthal,  and  began  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession.  Mr.  Hayman  has  acquired  a  large  general  prac- 
tice, and  occupies  spacious  offices  at  No.  234  Broadway.  He  represents 
many  important  commercial  houses  and  real  estate  operators,  and  has  also 
appeared  with  distinction  in  a  number  of  important  criminal  cases,  notably 
in  the  Lovitz  murder  case,  the  Lewin  arson  case  and  the  Ganns  forgery  case, 
all  of  which  at  the  time  attracted  considerable  public  attention.  He  occupies 
an  enviable  position  at  the  Bar  of  the  metropolis.  In  recent  years  Mr.  Hay- 
man has  made  a  specialty  of  real  estate,  insurance  and  corporation  law.  He 
is  attorney  and  organizer  of  a  number  of  corporations,  and  is  likewise  con- 
sidered an  expert  on  building  loan  contracts.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
being  closely  identified  with  Tammany  Hall.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Progress  Club,  and  of  numerous  other  clubs,  fraternal  organizations,  and 
charitable  institutions.  Mr.  Hayman  is  married,  and  at  present  resides  at 
No.  42  West  Ninety-fourth  Street,  New  York  City. 


262 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  Woi^ld. 


Daniel  Piexotto  Hays,  son  of  David  Hays  and  Judith  Piexotto,  was  born 
in  Pleasantville,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  March  28,  1854.  From  a  grand- 
father, who  served  with  credit  in  the  American  Army  during  the  Eevolution- 
ary  War,  Mr.  Hays  has  inherited  not  only  a  strain  of  patriotic  American 
blood,  but  also  the  family  homestead  purchased  by  his  ancestor  at  the  close 
of  that  memorable  struggle  He  is  also  a  descendant  of  Jacob  Hays,  who  was 
High  Constable  of  New  York  in  Colonial  days.  Daniel  P.  Hays  was  educated 
in  the  Thirteenth  Street  public  school  of  New  York,  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  the  Columbia  Law  School,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1875. 
While  pursuing  his  law  studies,  he  served  as  office  boy  in  the  office  of  Car- 
pentier  &  Beach,  and  upon  his  graduation  was  advanced  to  the  position  of 
managing  clerk.  In  1877  he  was  taken  into  partnership  by  ex-Judge  Beach 
and  the  firm  became  Beach  &  Hays.  A  few  months  later,  upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  Beach,  Mr.  Hays,  not  twenty-six  years  of  age,  formed  a  copartnership 
with  James  S.  Carpentier,  the  other  member  of  the  old  firm,  which  relation  he 
maintained  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Carpentier  in  1885,  when  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Samuel  Greenbaum,  under  the  present  title  of  Hays  &  Green- 
baum.  Mr.  Hays  has  handled  with  success  many  important  cases  which  have 
come  before  the  Courts  of  New  York.  Notable  among  them  was  the  case  of 
General  Badeau  against  the  executors  of  General  Grant  for  writing  Grant's 
Memoirs.  In  November,  1893,  he  was  appointed  Commissioner  of  Appraise- 
ment on  the  change  of  grade  in  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards, 
and  in  the  same  year  was  made  Civil  Service  Commissioner.  He  was  a 
delegate  from  Eockland  County  to  the  Democratic  State  Convention,  which 
nominated  Hill  for  Governor,  and  he  purchased  "The  Nyack  City  and 
County, ' '  publication,  with  the  view  of  changing  its  politics  an^  giving  its 
support  to  Cleveland.  On  April  7,  1880,  Mr.  Hays  married  Rachel,  daughter 
of  Aaron  Hirshfield,  and  has  five  children.  During  Mayor  Strong's  adminis- 
tration Mr.  Hays  was  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Inspection  of  the  Twenty- 
first  District  School  Board,  and  still  holds  that  position. 

John  Lindsay  Hill,  who  enjoys  the  rare  distinction  of  being  an  own 
son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  was  born  in  Florida,  N.  Y.,  October  31,  1840. 
His  mother,  Sarah  Hegeman,  was  descended  from  the  old  Dutch  and  English 
families  of  Hegeman  and  Palmer.  His  grandfather,  Adam  Hill,  was  a  native 
of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and  his  father,  Eev.  Nicholas  Hill,  entered  the 
Revolutionary  Army  at  the  age  of  ten  as  a  drummer,  and  was  mustered  out  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  as  a  Sergeant,  subsequently  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Metho- 
dism in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  N.  Y.  John  L.  Hill  received  an  academic  edu- 
cation in  Amsterdam  and  Jonesville,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  from  Union 
College  in  1861.  Before  entering  college  he  had  learned  practical  surveying 
and  printing,  but  his  college  course  shaped  his  tastes  in  other  directions,  and 
after  filling  the  position  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  of  Waterford, 
N.  T.,  for  a  year,  a  part  of  which  was  concurrent  with  his  senior  year  in  col- 


DANIEL   P.  HAYS. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  Neio  York. 


265 


lege,  he  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1862.  He  began  practice 
in  Schenectady,  and  in  1864  was  elected  District  Attorney  for  that  County. 
He  also  served  as  one  of  the  Counsel  of  the  Canal  Commissioners  for  four 
years,  and  moved  to  Brooklyn  in  1868.  During  the  past  thirty  years  he  has 
made  few  partnership  changes,  the  present  firm  of  Lockwood  &  Hill,  at  115 
Broadway,  having  been  established  in  1887.  He  has  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  the  profession  in  New  York  City,  and  has  been  identified  with 
many  important  cases.  One  of  the  most  notable  trials  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  was  that  of  the  Tilton-Beecher  case,  in  which,  as  one  of  the 
counsel  for  Mr.  Beecher,  he  was  associated  with  Thomas  G.  Shearman,  Gen. 
Benj.  F.  Tracy,  and  Messrs.  Evarts,  Porter  and  Abbott.  He  has  many  club 
and  society  affiliations,  being  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Club,  Union 
Alumni  Association,  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  Lawyers'  Club,  Law  Library  Associa- 
tion, New  York  Geographical  Society,  Sons  of  the  American  Kevolution, 
Brooklyn,  Carleton,  Montauk  and  Wyandanch  Clubs,  Brooklyn  Bar  and  Law 
Library  Associations,  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  New  England  Society, 
and  State  Bar  Association.  He  is  also  a  Trustee  of  the  Berkeley  Listitute. 
In  politics  Mr.  Hill  is  a  Democrat. 

Charles  F.  Holm  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1862,  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  metropolis  and  the  College  of  Schwerin,  Germany, 
in  which  institution  his  course  of  instruction  occupied  a  period  of  seven 
years.  Keturning  to  New  York  he  entered  the  Law  Department  of  Columbia 
University,  and  graduated  as  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1882.  Before  practicing 
his  profession  he  became  a  reporter  on  the  "World"  for  one  year.  Mr.  Holm 
is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Holm  &  Smith.  His  natural  qualifications  as 
a  shrewd  and  level-headed  man  of  affairs  speedily  led  him  into  the  civil  de- 
partments of  law,  making  a  specialty  of  corporation,  mercantile  and  financial 
law,  and  in  many  litigations  he  has  figured  as  a  successful  counsel  both  in  the 
higher  State  and  Federal  Courts,  including  among  his  clients  some  of  the 
largest  manufacturing  corporations  and  mercantile  houses  of  the  City. 
Among  these  are  the  Consumers'  Brewing  Co.,  Artificial  Ice  Co.,  the  Excel- 
sior Brewing  Co.,  and  the  Clausen  &  Price  Brewing  Co.,  and  many  others 
equally  prominent.  He  is  also  counsel  for  the  Lawyers'  Title  Insurance  Co., 
the  German  Volksfest  Society,  the  largest  German  society  in  the  United  States, 
and  has  become  especially  prominent  in  founding  co-operative  enterprises.  In 
1892,  together  with  the  former  editor  of  the  "World,"  he  started  the  first 
and  only  morning  paper,  ' '  The  Chronicle, ' '  in  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  devoted 
to  Consolidation  and  the  overthrow  of  the  "McLaughlin  King."  Though  the 
paper  succumbed,  the  object  for  which  it  was  founded  flourished  a  year  or 
two  later.  Although  too  much  occupied  by  professional  duties  to  participate 
in  affairs  political,  Mr.  Holm  is  well  known  in  social  and  club  circles.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  the  Montauk  Club,  the 
Parkway  Driving  Club,  and  he  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason.    Mr.  Holm 


266 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


owns  a  great  deal  of  real  estate  in  Brooklyn,  and  enjoys  a  large  measure  of 
well-earned  prosperity. 

William  Hornblower,  of  the  firm  of  Hornblower,  Byrne,  Taylor  &  Miller, 
was  born  in  Paterson,  N.  J.,  May  13,  1851.  He  is  a  son  of  the  Eev. 
William  H.  Hornblower,  D.D.,  who,  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1883,  was  a 
professor  in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Allegheny,  Penn.  Mr. 
Hornblower  comes  from  good  old  judicial  stock,  his  grandfather,  Joseph  C. 
Hornblower,  having  been  for  many  years  Chief  Justice  of  the  State  of  New 
Jersey,  and  one  of  the  leading  jurists  of  his  day.  Mr.  Hornblower  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Collegiate  School  in  the  City  of  New  York,  and  graduated  from 
Princeton  with  the  class  of  '71.  He  fitted  himself  for  his  professional  career 
at  the  Law  School  of  Columbia  University.  Beginning  the  active  practice  of 
law  in  New  York  immediately  after  graduation,  he  manifested  much  ability 
and  took  high  rank  at  the  Bar  of  the  metrojjolis.  In  politics  Mr.  Hornblower 
is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  associated  actively  with  that  wing  of  his  party 
which  has  been  identified  with  reform,  and  the  revision  of  political  methods. 
In  every  effort  that  has  been  made  in  New  York  for  purification  of  local 
government  he  has  been  an  active  and  efficient  worker.  In  1890  Governor 
Hill  appointed  him  on  the  Commission  to  propose  amendments  to  the  State 
Constitution.  Subsequently  Mr.  Hornblower  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
non-partisan  effort  to  secure  the  impeachment  of  the  late  Judge  Isaac  H. 
Maynard.  His  public-spirited  activity  in  this  particular  resulted  to  his  per- 
sonal disadvantage,  for  in  1893  President  Cleveland  nominated  him  to  a  seat 
ou  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  United  States,  vacated  by  the  death  of  Judge 
Blatchford,  but  the  animosity  of  Senator  Hill,  arising  from  the  opposition  of 
Mr.  Hornblower  to  the  disreputable  methods  of  Maynard,  succeeded  in  secur- 
ing through  the  custom  known  as  Senatorial  courtesy  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Horn- 
blower's  confirmation.  This  incident  is  perhaps  more  to  the  credit  of  Mr. 
Hornblower  as  indicating  his  standing  and  influence  than  if  his  appointment 
had  been  actually  confirmed.  He  remains  in  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  New  York,  and  is  widely  known  and  highly  respected  as  a  public- 
spirited  citizen.  His  social  interests  are  much  varied,  as  shown  by  some  of 
the  organizations  of  which  he  is  an  active  member;  among  them  being  the 
University,  Century,  Manhattan,  Reform,  Princeton,  City,  Metropolitan  and 
Lawyers'  Clubs,  the  Association  of  the  Bar,  the  Society  of  Medical  Juris- 
prudence, Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  Sons  of  the  Eevolution,  Shinnecock 
Hills  Golf  Club,  and  the  Meadow  Club,  of  Southampton. 

Isaac  P.  Hubbard  was  born  in  Great  Yarmouth,  England,  December  3, 
1844,  his  parents  being  Isaac  Gardiner  Hubbard  and  Eebecca  Penny.  Both 
of  his  grandfathers,  Thomas  Hubbard  and  Joseph  Penny,  were  Captains  in  the 
British  Navy.  Isaac  P.  Hubbard  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1845, 
and  resided  continuously  in  the  old  City  of  New  York  up  to  April,  1897, 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence,  Richmond  Hill,  now  in  the 


Tlie  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


269 


Borough  of  Queens.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York, 
and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  Justice  Thomas  Stewart.  While  with 
him,  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  the  national  cause  appealed  so  strongly  to 
him  that  he  enlisted  in  Companj-  K.,  of  the  Thirty-seventh  Kegiment  of  New 
York,  and  served  throughout  the  war.  He  was  subsequently  commissioned 
Lieutenant  by  Governor  Hoffman.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army,  he 
resumed  the  study  of  law  with  the  late  Horatio  Nelson  Walker,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  of  the  State  in  1867.  In  1869  he  became  associated  with 
the  late  Eobert  Benner,  with  whom  he  continued  until  1882.  In  that  year  he 
removed  his  office  to  the  Wood  Building,  115  Nassau  Street,  where  he  is  still 
located.  His  specialty  in  the  law  is  real  estate  and  Surrogate  practice.  He 
is  counsel  for  several  large  estates,  corporations  and  the  Odd  Fellows  Home, 
and  was  counsel  for  the  successful  contestants  in  the  noted  Julia  Ann  Spratt 
and  Frederick  W.  Nolte  will  cases.  He  meets  many  demands  upon  his  atten- 
tion outside  of  his  profession,  being  a  member  of  James  C.  Rice  Post,  No. 
29,  G.A.K.,  Guiding  Star  Lodge,  No.  262,  LO.O.F.,  Porter  Lodge,  No. 
211,  K.P.,  the  Veteran  Odd  Fellows'  Association,  Knights  of  Pythias  Vet- 
eran Association,  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew,  Bayswater  Yacht  Club,  Queens 
County  Wheelmen  and  Chub  Club  of  Jamaica,  L.  I. ,  and  is  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Pythian  Home,  State  of  New  York,  Chairman  Board 
of  Trustees  "American  Patriotic  League,  "and  Grand  Marshal,  I.O.O.F., 
State  of  New  York.  Mr.  Hubbard  married  Harriet  A.  Armstrong,  daughter 
of  William  Armstrong  and  Maria  Beuney,  and  has  had  four  children.  Franklin 
Armstrong,  Edith  Eebecca,  William  Pesoa  and  Gardiner  Benney  Hubbard. 

Thomas  D.  Husted  comes  from  ancestry  which  has  been  conspicuously 
identified  with  the  history  and  progress  of  New  York  State.  His  father, 
Hon.  James  W.  Husted,  was,  for  many  years,  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  Eepublican  leaders  in  the  State,  and  when  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1892,  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  that  body  vigorously  to  cham- 
pion the  cause  of  Consolidation.  Thomas  D.  Husted  was  born  in  Peekskill, 
N.  Y.,  September  18,  1860,  and  after  receiving  a  good  elementary  education, 
prepared  for  college  at  Williston  Seminary,  and  entered  Yale  University  in  the 
class  of  '83.  Graduating  from  Yale,  he  took  a  legal  course  in  the  Albany  Law 
School,  at  the  same  time  reading  law  in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  Matthew  Hale. 
After  some  further  experience  in  the  offices  of  Waldo  <fc  Grover,  of  Port  Henry, 
N.  Y.,  and  Devlin  &  Miller,  of  New  York  City,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
1885,  and  has  since  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  devoted  chiefly  to  corpo- 
ration and  corporation  tax  law.  In  1897  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
younger  brother,  James  W.  Husted,  which  firm  has  offices  at  No.  141  Broad- 
way, New  York,  and  in  White  Plains,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Husted's  home  is  at 
Peekskill,  and  his  native  town  shares  with  New  York  and  other  Cities  the 
demands  on  his  time.  He  has  charge  of  the  Depew  Opera  House,  the  New 
York  Stove  Works  and  Washington  Park  Land  Company,  of  Peekskill ;  is 


270 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


President  of  Knollwood  Cemetery,  of  Boston,  and  Treasurer  of  three  and 
Director  in  eight  corporations.  Among  the  social  organizations  to  which  he 
belongs  are  the  D.  K.  E.  Club  and  the  Transportation  Club,  of  New  York. 
His  wife,  nee  Clinton,  is  a  direct  descendant  of  George  Clinton.  He  has  one 
daughter. 

Col.  Charles  F.  James,  Ph.B.,  A.M.,  LL.B.,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  N.  Y., 
July  12,  1856,  of  good  old  American  stock  of  Scotch  and  Welsh  origin.  His 
father,  Thomas  L.  James,  was  Postmaster  of  New  York  City  for  many  years 
and  Postmaster-General  under  Garfield.  Through  his  mother  he  descends 
from  Ethan  Allen,  of  Ticonderoga  fame,  and  from  a  branch  of  the  Lamb 
family,  of  which  the  author  of  the  "Essays  of  Elia"  was  a  member.  Mr. 
James  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New^  York,  the  College  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  and  Madison  University,  from  which  latter  he  was  graduated 
with  honors  in  the  class  of  '76,  and  Columbia  College,  where  he  took  his 
degree  of  LL.B.  in  '79.  In  college  he  was  very  popular  with  his  mates,  his 
fine  physique  enabling  him  to  enter  with  the  utmost  zest  into  all  athletic 
sports  and  to  excel  in  them.  He  was  unanimously  chosen  by  the  faculty  and 
students  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  as  Captain  and  Stroke  of  the 
crew  which  represented  them  in  the  Intercollegiate  regatta  on  Saratoga  Lake. 
His  aquatic  exploits  include  the  rescue  from  drowning  of  two  persons,  one 
of  whom  subsequently  became  a  member  of  Governor  Flower's  stafi".  After 
taking  his  degrees,  Mr.  James  traveled  abroad.  Upon  his  admission  to  the 
Bar  he  was  appointed  counsel  to  the  Commissioners  of  Emigration  of  this 
State,  which  position  he  held  until  the  Commissioners  were  legislated  out  of 
office.  He  was  Assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York  under  United  States  Attorney  General  Wayne  McVeagh, 
and  later  became  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  to  Mr.  Andrews  and  Mr.  La- 
combe.  Upon  Mr.  Andrews'  elevation  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench,  Mr.  James 
became  associated  with  Gen.  G.E.  P.  Howard,  but  subsequently  withdrew  and 
went  South  as  assistant  to  the  President  of  East  Tennessee  Land  Company. 
Upon  his  return  to  New  York  he  organized  the  Franklin  National  Bank,  of 
which  he  was  elected  President.  He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Dittenhoefer, 
Gerber  &  James,  and  is  counsel  for  many  important  corporations.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  and  Lawyers'  Clubs,  the  American  Geographical 
Society,  and  Phi  Gamma  Delta,  and  President  of  the  St.  David's  Society  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Levi  P.  Morton 
Colonel  on  his  military  staff. 

John  Adolphus  Kamping  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  was  brought 
to  the  United  States  when  only  four  years  of  age.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education,  supplemented  by  a  high-school  course  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  and 
displayed  so  much  proficiency  in  his  studies  that  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
became  a  teacher  under  the  administration  of  President  Kufus  King,  of  the 
School  Board.     He  taught  school  for  less  than  three  years,  and  at  the 


JAMES  KEARNEY.  ALEXANDER    P.  KETCHUM. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


273 


unusually  early  age  of  nineteen,  became  Principal  of  the  Third  District 
School,  a  position  which  he  held  for  five  years.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
Civil  War  the  school  teachers  organized  a  company  for  home  defense,  subject 
to  call  of  the  general  government,  which  Mr.  Kamping  joined.  The  company 
was  called  out  to  the  front  in  Virginia  in  the  Spring  of  1864  and  became 
part  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Eegiment  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Mr.  Kamping  going  with  his  company.  About  a  year  after  that 
memorable  struggle  had  closed  he  moved  to  New  Tork  City  and  engaged  for  a 
while  in  mercantile  pursuits.  The  latter,  however,  were  not  to  his  tastes, 
and  determining  upon  a  professional  career,  he  entered  the  New  York  Uni- 
versity Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1877.  Soon  after,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  has  been  actively  in  practice  ever  since.  He 
gives  his  attention  to  general  civil  and  real  estate  law,  and  represents  the 
interests  of  many  large  corporations  of  this  City  and  vicinity.  Among  the 
local  organizations  to  which  he  belongs  is  Lafayette  Post,  G.A.E.,  which 
manifested  its  loyalty  anew  so  conspicuously  during  the  recent  Spanish-Amer- 
ican War.  Mr.  Kamping  has  very  pronounced  musical  tastes,  and  has  done 
much  to  encourage  the  art  in  New  Tork  City,  having  been  at  one  time  Vice- 
President  of  the  Music  Club,  of  which  the  late  Anton  Seidl  was  President. 
In  1862  he  married  Miss  Cornelia  Reynolds,  niece  of  Governor  Dennison, 
War  Governor  of  Ohio,  and  Postmaster-General  in  Lincoln's  cabinet, 

James  Kearney  was  born  in  Cork,  Ireland,  April  11,  1858,  and  was  brought 
to  the  United  States  in  infancy  by  his  parents,  who  made  their  home  near 
Arlington  Heights,  Va.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  his  father  man- 
ifested his  unequivocal  loyalty  to  the  country  of  his  adoption  by  joining  the 
regular  Federal  Army,  and  continuing  therein,  not  only  during  his  three 
years'  term  of  enrollment,  but  until  the  year  1867.  The  close  of  hostilities  in 
1865  brought  the  elder  Kearney's  command  to  New  Tork  Harbor,  and  at  that 
time  his  family  took  up  their  residence  in  the  City  of  New  Tork.  Here  James 
Kearney  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  evening  high  school ; 
and,  ambitious  for  a  professional  career,  studied  law.  In  May,  1879,  when 
but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  the  head  of  his 
class,  and  has  been  in  active  practice  ever  since,  his  attention  being  princi- 
pally given  to  litigated  cases.  His  labors  have  been  directed  not  only  toward 
the  interpretation  of  laws  already  made,  but  also  to  the  making  of  new  laws. 
He  is  the  author  of  the  Mechanics'  Lien  Law  of  the  State,  affecting  real  estate, 
and  has  been  engaged  extensively  in  litigation  involving  its  enforcement.  He 
has  also  given  especial  attention  to  the  subject  of  municipal  contracts,  and  to 
proceedings  for  the  cancellation  and  vacation  of  tax  and  assessment  sales  in  New 
Tork,  Kings,  Queens  and  Westchester  Counties.  In  politics  he  is  an  active 
Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Tammany  Society,  having  been  a  member 
of  the  General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall  since  1879.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Medico-Legal  Society. 


27A 


Nexo  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Luther  Lafliu  Kellogg,  who  was  born  in  Maiden,  N.  Y.,  July  1,  1849, 
descends  from  English  ancestors  who  settled  in  Norwalk,  Conn.,  in  1630. 
Fortunately  circumstanced  in  his  early  years,  his  education  was  acquired  first 
in  private  schools,  and  subsequently  at  Piutgers  and  Columbia  Colleges.  The 
opportunities  thus  presented  were  well  imj)roved  by  the  young  man,  and  under 
the  liberal  influences  of  these  institutions,  his  faculties  were  quickl}'  devel- 
oped. Throughout  his  college  course  he  manifested  a  marked  fondness  for 
and  ability  in  public  speaking  and  debate,  which  resulted  in  his  selection,  not 
only  as  a  Sophomore,  Junior  and  Senior  orator,  but  also  for  the  delivery  of  the 
Masters'  Oration  after  his  graduation.  He  was  graduated  with  honors  from 
the  classical  department  of  Kutgers  in  1870,  and  then  entered  Columbia  Law 
School,  which  at  that  time,  was  under  the  management  of  Prof.  Theodore  W. 
Dwight.  In  1872  he  took  his  degree  of  LL.B.  from  Columbia,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  at  the  Bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  While  at  the  Law  School  he  was  a  student  and  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Emott,  Hammond  &  Pomeroy,  the  senior  member  of  which  was  the  Hon. 
James  Emott,  an  ex-Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  Court  of  Appeals.  A 
few  months  after  his  graduation  he  was  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  firm, 
which  then  became  known  under  the  name  of  Emott,  Hammond  &  Stickuey. 
Upon  his  appearance  in  Court,  his  intellectual  ability  and  his  forensic  powers 
were  recognized,  and  he  soon  won  a  high  position  as  counsel,  attorney  and  a 
pleader  in  jury  trials.  The  principal  business  of  Mr.  Kellogg's  firm  was  with 
railroad  corporations,  but  Mr.  Kellogg's  predilection  was  for  municipal  law, 
and  after  a  partnership  of  about  two  years  he  decided  to  devote  himself  espe- 
cially to  that  branch  of  his  profession.  In  1875  he  opened  an  office  of  his 
own,  and  is  now  a  recognized  authority  on  the  subject  of  municipal  contracts. 
He  has  been  in  nearly  every  important  Citj'  contract  case  for  fifteen  years,  and 
has  practiced  in  all  the  courts  up  to  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  He  is 
particularly  known  as  a  trial  lawyer,  and  his  face  is  a  familiar  one  to  the  judges 
of  all  our  courts,  both  of  original  and  appellate  jurisdiction,  and  to  the  law- 
yers and  litigants  who  frequent  them.  Mr.  Kellogg  is  also  an  authority  on 
mechanics'  liens.  He  originated  and  drew  up  the  law  of  1878  which  permits 
the  filing  and  creating  of  liens  against  the  moneys  of  contractors  earned  under 
City  contracts  in  favor  of  sub-contractors  and  suppliers  of  materials ;  and  he 
has  also  drawn  up  many  other  laws  now  on  the  statute  books.  In  his  pro- 
fessional practice  he  has  been  thrown  into  intimate  connection  with  public 
officials  and  politicians,  but  has  never  caught  the  contagion  of  political  am- 
bition, and  has  invariably  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  office.  He  is  now 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Kellogg,  Eose  &  Smith,  with  offices  in  the 
Equitable  Life  Building.  Mr.  Kellogg  finds  diversion  from  professional  cares 
in  many  social  relations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Manhattan,  Players,  Delta 
Phi,  Lawyers,  Coney  Island  Jockey,  Fort  Orange,  Suburban  and  Colonial 
Clubs,  of  which  latter  he  has  been  President  for  the  last  two  years.    He  is 


LUTHER  LAFLIN  KELLOGG 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


277 


le  of  the  pioneer  residents  of  the  West  Side  of  the  City,  and  takes  an  active 
tterest  in  everything  that  pertains  to  its  welfare.  He  is  the  Chairman  of  the 
harity  Organization  Society  in  that  part  of  the  City.  He  is  also  a  vestry- 
an  in  All  Angels'  Church.  In  1874  he  married  Bessie,  daughter  of  Major- 
eneral  John  B.  Mcintosh,  U.S.A.,  and  has  four  children  living. 

Alexander  P.  Ketchum,  whose  father  Edgar  Ketchum  was  also  a  promi- 
mt  lawyer,  was  born  May  11,  1839,  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  where  his 
irents  were  visiting  at  the  time.  In  1858  he  graduated  with  honors  from 
le  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  remained  in  the  college  as  a  tutor 
I  mathematics  a  year  longer.  One  year  later  he  obtained  the  degree  of  LL.B. 
om  the  Albany  Law  School,  receiving  afterward  the  honorary  degree  of  M.A. 
om  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  AVheu  the  Civil  "War  broke  out 
3  became  a  member  of  the  staff  of  General  Rufus  Saxton,  Military  Governor 
'  South  Carolina,  and  in  1865  was  transferred  to  the  staff  of  General  O.  O. 
oward.  In  1867  Col.  Ketchum  resigned  his  military  duties  to  resume  his 
gal  practice.  His  shrewdness  as  a  lawyer,  and  his  eloquence  as  an  orator, 
ive  him  the  marked  advantage  which  the  combination  of  those  talents  always 
Fords,  and  he  has  won  a  reputation  in  civil  law,  with  customs  and  internal 
venue  litigation  a  specialty.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  Ee- 
iblican  politics.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  Assessor  by  President  Grant, 
ter  made  Collector  of  Internal  Eevenue,  and,  in  1874,  received  the  ai^point- 
ent  as  General  Appraiser  of  the  Port  of  New  York  in  the  Customs  Depart- 
ent.  President  Arthur  promoted  him  to  the  post  of  Chief  Appraiser  of  the 
art  of  New  York,  which  position  he  vacated  upon  the  advent  of  the  Democrats 

power.  His  administration  was  conspicuous  for  honesty  and  efficiency, 
id  he  abolished  many  existing  evils.  Colonel  Ketchum  is  one  of  the  most 
;perienced  yachtsmen  in  America,  and  is  a  member  of  numerous  yacht  clubs, 
e  is  also  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  several  Republican  clubs,  and 
r  more  than  three  years  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
ider  appointment  from  Mayor  Strong. 

Horatio  Collins  King,  a  prominent  lawyer,  was  born  in  Port- 
ud,  Me.,  December  22,  1837.  His  great-grandfather,  George  King, 
ught  in  the  American  Revolution,  and  his  own  father  was  First  Assist- 
it  Postmaster-General  and  Postmaster-General  from  1854  to  1861. 
oratio  C.  King  was  graduated  from  Dickinson  College  in  1858, 
udied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  New  York  City  in  1861.  The 
irring  times  of  '61-' 65  were  not  those  in  which  the  son  of  the  man  who  first 
ficially  denied  the  right  of  a  State  to  secede  could  remain  quietly  at  home 
■acticing  his  profession,  and  upon  going  to  the  front  he  quickly  distin- 
lished  himself  by  his  bravery.  He  served  in  the  Armies  of  the  Potomac  and 
lenandoah,  from  August,  1862,  till  October,  1865,  when  he  resigned  with 
le  brevet  rank  of  colonel.  He  participated  in  the  actions  in  the  Shenandoah 
alley  and  in  the  final  campaign,  ending  with  the  surrender  at  Appomattox 


278 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Court  House.  For  conspicuous  gallantry  at  the  Battle  of  Five  Forks  he  was 
brevetted  colonel,  and  subsequently  was  awarded  the  Congressional  medal  of 
honor.  He  practiced  law  until  1870,  when  he  became  connected  with  the 
press  for  six  years,  and  then  resumed  the  law.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
Judge  Advocate-General  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Cleveland,  and  has  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  law  to  the  present  time.  He  is  the  author  and  editor 
of  several  valuable  works,  including  "The  Plymouth  Silver  Wedding,"  "The 
Brooklyn  Congregational  Council,"  "King's  Guide  to  Eegimental  Courts  Mar- 
tial,"  and  "Proceedings  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac."  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Eevolution,  the  Loyal  Legion,  G.A.R.,  the  Press 
Club,  the  Brooklyn  Club,  the  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Society  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  of  which  he  has  been  secretary  since  1877,  and  is  conspicuously 
identified  with  the  patriotic  movements  of  the  day. 

Benjamin  Tredwell  Kissam  was  born  at  64  Beekman  Street,  New  York  City, 
February  17,  1819.  He  is  the  third  son  of  Joseph  Kissam  and  Ann  M. 
Embury,  and  is  a  descendant  of  John  Kissam,  who  was  born  in  Flushing, 
Long  Island  in  1664.  From  the  time  of  his  birth  until  July,  1826,  he  passed 
most  of  the  years  in  this  City,  commencing  an  early  education  with  a  Quaker- 
ess, continuing  with  the  giant  schoolmasters,  Benjamin  Mortimer  and  Mr. 
Carpenter,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seven  and  one-half  years,  when  he  was 
taken  to  Nazareth  School  in  Pennsylvania,  an  institution  conducted  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Moravians,  where  he  remained  five  years.  After  passing  three 
years  at  Oxford  Academy  in  the  State  of  New  York,  he  entered  Columbia 
College  in  the  fall  of  1834,  and  graduated  in  1838.  He  entered  the  office  of 
Tillou  &  Cutting  as  a  student  at  law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  as  an 
attorney  in  July,  1841.  He  then  made  a  trip  across  the  Atlantic  and  passed 
fourteen  months  abroad,  returning  to  New  York,  October  14,  1842,  in  time 
to  witness  the  Croton  Water  Celebration.  From  this  time  he  has  been  in  the 
active  practice  of  the  law,  in  which  he  was  materially  aided  at  first  by  his 
relative,  George  B.  Kissam  and  the  Hon.  Dudley  Selden.  Among  the  num- 
erous pieces  of  advice  which  Mr.  Selden  impressed  upon  Mr.  Kissam's  mind 
was  "never  to  become  a  Trustee  for  father  or  brother,  or  for  any  one" — 
advice  which  Mr.  Kissam  would  gladly  have  followed  if  possible,  for  experi- 
ence subsequently  taught  him  the  value  of  the  admonition.  Upon  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.  Selden  and  George  B.  Kissam  from  the  profession,  Benjamin  T. 
Kissam  followed  the  practice  of  law  single-handed  until  about  the  year  1861, 
when  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Mr.  George  A.  Jones,  who  had  mar- 
ried Miss  Coster,  a  daughter  of  one  of  his  best  and  most  generous  clients. 
This  copartnership  continued  for  about  eight  years,  when  Mr.  Jones  aban- 
doned the  law  for  another  kind  of  business.  Subsequently,  Mr.  Kissam 
formed  copartnership  with  Clarence  U.  Embury,  and  after  his  death  in 
1885,  Mr.  Kissam  continued  to  practice  alone.  Many  important  cases  have 
passed  through  his  hands,  a  large  proportion  of  which  have  been  successful ; 


HORATIO  C.  KING. 


BENJAMIN  T.  KISSAM. 


WILLIAM  J.  lai;dnkr. 


WALTER  L.  MACCORKLE. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


281 


some  would  have  been  if  they  had  been  carried  to  the  Court  of  Appeals,  as 
verified  by  other  subsequent  cases  based  upon  the  same  facts ;  and  some  have 
become  leading  cases  in  the  forum  of  the  law. 

"William  J.  Lardner  was  born  in  New  York  City  October  22,  1858.  He 
lost  his  father  in  early  boyhood,  and  not  only  surmounted  all  obstacles  in  his 
path,  but  also  supported  his  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters  while  securing 
the  advantages  of  an  education.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  St. 
Francis  Xavier  College,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  from  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York.  After  several  years'  practical  experience  as  chief  and  managing  clerk 
in  the  office  of  D.  M.  Helm,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  on  his  twenty -first 
birthday.  Li  June,  1893,  he  had  the  honor  of  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws 
conferred  on  him  by  St.  Francis  Xavier  College,  and  is  distinguished  as  one 
of  the  youngest  men  who  ever  received  such  a  compliment.  From  1888  to 
1894  he  was  Deputy  Attorney-General  for  New  York  City,  and  gave  an  effi- 
cient and  admirable  administration  of  the  office,  both  to  his  chiefs  and  to  the 
Bar  of  the  City.  Among  the  important  litigations  in  which  he  has  demonstrated 
his  ability  may  be  mentioned  those  of  the  North  Eiver,  Madison  Square,  and 
Canal  Street  Banks,  the  American  Loan  &  Trust  Co.,  the  Sugar  Trust  cases, 
and  the  Harlem  Eiver  Bank  case.  He  is  recognized  as  an  expert  in  equity 
and  Surrogate  practice,  and  is  counsel  for  many  Eoman  Catholic  institutions 
and  clergymen.  Among  the  latter  is  Archbishop  Corrigan,  for  whom  he  has 
acted  as  counsel  for  over  ten  years.  In  January,  1895,  he  formed  the  firm  of 
Lardner,  Loughran  &  Smyth,  of  115  Broadway.  He  has  a  large  and  hand- 
some library,  and  is  a  close  student.  He  has  frequently  been  mentioned  for 
judicial  honors,  and  is  classed  among  the  leaders  of  the  younger  element  of 
the  Bar.  He  cannot  be  considered  a  club  man,  although  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Lawyer's,  Manhattan,  Democratic,  Catholic  and  Eeform  Clubs,  and  the 
State  and  City  Bar  Associations.  His  tastes  are  domestic,  and  he  is  devoted 
to  his  family.  He  married  Agnes,  daughter  of  James  A.  O'Brien,  a  promi- 
nent business  man  of  New  York,  and  has  two  children  living.  The  eldest 
child,  named  after  himself,  would  be  ten  years  old  if  alive. 

Edward  Lauterbach,  of  the  law  firm  of  Hoadly,  Lauterbach  &  Johnson, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  August  12,  1844:.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he 
was  graduated  from  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  Y^ork  with  honors,  and  a 
once  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Townsend,  Dyett  &  Morris.  After  his 
admission  to  the  Bar,  he  was  admitted  to  membership  in  the  firm,  which  was 
then  recognized  by  the  title  of  Morris,  Lauterbach  &  Spingarn.  Upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Spingarn  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Lauterbach 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hoadly,  Lauterbach  &  Johnson,  now  one  of 
the  leading  law  houses  of  the  metropolis.  His  associates  were  ex-Governor 
George  Hoadly  and  Edgar  M.  Johnson,  formerly  of  Ohio,  the  latter  now 
deceased.    Since  that  time  Mr.  Lauterbach  has  established  a  high  standing  as 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


ii  corporation  lawyer  and  railroad  organizer.  Among  bis  achievements  may 
be  mentioned  the  termination  of  tbe  great  Third  Avenue  Railroad  strike  of 
188G,  which  was  accomplished  largely  through  his  efforts,  and  the  sustaining 
in  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  constitutionality  of  the  legislation  under  which 
all  changes  in  motive  power  by  street  railroads  are  now  made.  He  was  one 
of  the  leading  counsel  in  the  famous  and  successful  suit  of  Farnsworth,  receiver 
of  the  Bankers'  and  Merchants'  Telegraph  Co.,  for  cutting  the  wires  of  the 
former  comjiany,  and  has  been  instrumental  in  securing  the  legislation  for 
the  removal  of  telegraph  poles  and  the  placing  of  electric  wires  in  underground 
conduits.  His  ability  as  an  organizer  has  been  employed  in  many  cases  in- 
volving large  financial  interests.  He  brought  about  the  consolidation  of  the 
Union  and  Brooklyn  Elevated  roads,  combining  two  conflicting  interests  into 
a  single  powerful  and  prosperous  property ;  and  induced  the  merging  of 
interests  which  created  the  Consolidated  Telegraph  and  Electric  Subways. 
As  attorney  for  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  he  assisted  in  obtaining 
the  recognition  of  the  advantage  of  subsidies  from  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment. He  also  secured  the  incorporation  of  the  East  Eiver  Bridge  Co. ,  whose 
charter  authorizes  the  construction  of  two  bridges  between  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  starting  from  the  same  point  in  New  York  and  separating  to  reach 
two  different  points  in  Brooklyn,  now  in  process  of  construction.  He  is  now 
counsel  for  the  Third  Avenue  Surface  Eailroad,  the  Brooklyn  Elevated  Rail- 
road Company,  the  Consolidated  Electrical  Subway  Company,  and  dozens  of 
other  important  corporations.  He  has  drafted  many  important  legisLitive 
bills  which  were  enacted  into  law.  He  was  one  of  three  delegates  at  large 
representing  the  City  of  New  York  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  June, 
1894,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Charities.  Outside  his 
profession  he  is  greatly  interested  in  education,  and  holds  the  office  of  Vice- 
President  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  is  a  generous  con- 
tributor to  every  form  of  charity,  and  is  a  Director  in  many  charitable  insti- 
tutions. In  political  life  Mr.  Lauterbach  has  been  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
the  Republican  party.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Com- 
mittee for  two  years,  1895  and  1896,  and  his  capacity  was  again  evidenced  h\ 
the  degree  of  perfection  to  which  that  organization  was  brought.  He  was  re- 
elected to  that  position  in  1897,  but  resigned  it  in  March.  He  was  one  of  the 
New  York  State  delegation  to  the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1896, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  sub-committee  of  nine  which  drafted  the  platform, 
including  the  two  now  famous  Sound  Money  and  Cuban  planks.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Republican  Advisory  Committee  of  New  York  State,  known  as 
"the  Big  Five,"  consisting  of  Thomas  C.  Piatt,  Chairman;  Chauncey  M. 
Depew,  Frank  Hiscock,  Frank  S.  Witherbee  and  himself.  He  has  never  held 
political  office,  and  has  no  aspirations  in  that  direction.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Press,  Transportation,  Lawyers'  and  City  Clubs,  the  Patria  Societj', 
American  Fine  Arts  Society,  and  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence.    In  1870 


EDWARD  LAUTERBACH. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  Neio  York. 


285 


he  married  Miss  Amanda  Friedman,  and  has  four  children,  to  whom,  not- 
withstanding his  many  outside  cares,  he  is  a  devoted  husband  and  father. 
His  eldest  son,  Alfred,  formerly  held  the  position  of  Assistant  District 
Attorney  in  New  York. 

Walter  L.  Mac  Corkle  affords  an  illustration  of  the  recognition  which  the 
metropolis  is  always  ready  to  accord  to  industry,  ability  and  talent,  whether 
manifested  by  her  native  or  her  adopted  sons.  Mr.  Mac  Corkle,  the  son  of 
Wm.  H.  and  Virginia  Mac  Corkle,  and  the  descendant  of  good  American 
ancestors  of  Scotch-Irish  origin,  was  born  near  Lexington,  Va.  One  of  his 
ancestors,  John  W.  Mac  Corkle,  fell  at  the  battle  of  Cowpens,  and  by  virtue  of 
his  Kevolutionary  ancestry  Mr.  Mac  Corkle  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  the  Kevolu- 
tion.  Another  progenitor,  James  Mac  Corkle,  was  one  of  the  first  Trustees  of 
Washington  College,  now  Washington  and  Lee  University,  where  Walter  L. 
Mac  Corkle  received  a  collegiate  education.  After  teaching  for  several  years  in 
Virginia  and  Kentucky,  Mr.  Mac  Corkle  returned  to  his  alma  mater  for  a  legal 
course,  and  upon  taking  his  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1880,  began  to  practice  in 
Maysville,  Ky.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  New  York,  a  complete  stranger; 
but  by  his  clever  address  quickly  won  the  friendship  of  many  men  of  dis- 
tinction. In  the  offices  of  Wheeler  H.  Peckham  and  Eliot  F.  Shepard,  he 
acquired  a  valuable  experience  and  further  extended  his  professional  relations, 
so  that  a  few  years  later  he  opened  his  own  office  in  the  Drexel  Building. 
In  making  a  specialty  of  corporation  law,  real  estate,  financial  and  equity 
causes,  he  has  brought  into  action  remarkable  business  acumen  and  knowledge 
of  commercial  affairs  which  have  characterized  his  professional  success,  and 
have  drawn  to  him  such  clients  as  the  L^nited  States  National  Bank,  the  Daw 
Composing  Machine  Company,  the  Tobacco  Leaf  Publishing  Company,  the 
Produce  Exchange  Building  and  Loan  Association,  the  American  Typewriter 
Company,  the  North  American  Mining  Company,  the  English  house  of  Tat- 
tersalls,  etc.  In  addition  to  the  hereditary  society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Eevo- 
lution,  before  mentioned,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Club,  the  Phi  Kappa 
Psi  fraternity,  the  Bar  Association  and  the  Southern  Society,  of  which  latter 
he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  for  four  years  Treasurer,  and  in  all  of  which 
he  has  a  host  of  friends.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  Democrat.  Mr.  Mac 
Corkle  is  a  man  of  most  agreeable  personality,  and  untiring  energy.  He 
finds  time,  amid  manifold  duties,  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  university  and 
educational  matters,  and  many  a  struggling  young  college  graduate  has  had 
occasion  to  remember  gratefully  his  kindly  advice  and  aid.  In  November, 
1888,  he  married  Margaret  Chesebrough,  of  New  York,  and  resides  with  his 
family  on  West  End  Avenue. 

Thomas  McAdam  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1860.  He  is  the  eldest 
son  of  David  McAdam,  lawyer,  jurist  and  author.  It  may  thus  be  said 
that  Mr.  McAdam  has  inherited  from  his  father,  whose  service  on  the  Bench 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  has  been  both  distinguished  and  extended, 


286 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


his  fondness  for  the  law,  and  his  ability  in  his  chosen  calling.  Mr.  Mc- 
Adam's  early  education  was  obtained  first  at  Moeller's  Institute.  He  then 
entered  Columbia  University,  graduating  with  honor  in  the  class  of  '85. 
From  the  Law  School  of  the  same  institution  he  received  his  diploma  in  1887. 
He  was  at  once  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York,  and  began  the  active  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  Mr.  McAdam  has  made  a  specialty  of  real  estate  law, 
in  which,  as  well  as  in  the  general  lines  of  his  profession,  he  has  acquired 
a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  Mr.  McAdam  is  a  Democrat.  In  addition  to 
exacting  professional  cares,  he  finds  time  to  follow  up  his  political  connections 
with  energetic  party  service.  He  is  a  member  of  the  General  Committee  of 
Tammany  Hall,  in  which  organization  he  has  been  an  active  and  enthusiastic 
worker.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  West  Side  Democratic  Club,  of  the 
Harlem  Club,  Atlanta  Boat  Club  and  the  Arion  Society,  and  of  the  Society  of 
Medical  Jurisprudence.  In  1886  he  married  Sarah  S.  Blair,  a  granddaughter 
of  the  Eev.  Hugh  Henry  Blair. 

John  Jay  McKelvey,  of  the  law  firm  of  McEelvey  &  Mattocks,  was  born  in 
Sandusky,  O.,  May  24,  1863.  His  common-school  education  was  supple- 
mented by  an  academic  course  at  the  Sandusky  High  School,  after  which  he 
entered  Oberlin  College,  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  '84.  Choosing  law 
for  the  pursuit  of  his  life,  he  entered  Harvard  Law  School,  taking  his  degree 
in  the  class  of  '87.  While  engaged  in  his  law  studies  at  Harvard,  he  also 
cultivated  several  general  lines  of  study,  and  thus  broadened  his  education 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  chosen  profession.  His  literary  predilections  were 
very  marked  in  his  college  life,  and  appeared  conspicuously  in  the  "Harvard 
Law  Eeview, ' '  of  which  he  was  the  founder  and  first  editor-in-chief.  After 
his  graduation,  he  came  to  New  York  and  entered  the  law  ofiice  of  Stickney  & 
Shepard  for  a  twelvemonth.  He  was  subsequently  in  the  office  of  Delancey 
Nicoll  for  a  year,  and  then  established  his  own  office.  On  May  1,  1898,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Frederick  W.  Mattocks,  under  the  title  of  McKel- 
vey &  Mattocks,  and  has  offices  at  66  Broadway.  Mr.  McKelvey,  although 
yet  one  of  the  younger  generation  at  the  Bar,  has  distinguished  himself  with 
two  successful  legal  works  of  permanent  value,  "McKelvey  on  Common  Law 
Pleading,"  published  by  Baker,  Voorhees  &  Co.,  in  1892,  and  "McKelvey  on 
Evidence,"  published  by  the  West  Publishing  Co.  in  1898.  His  practice  is 
general,  tending  the  past  few  years  toward  the  wholesale  lumber  interests,  and 
he  has  for  four  years  been  general  counsel  for  the  National  Wholesale  Lumber 
Association.  Among  the  social  organizations  to  which  he  belongs  are  the 
Harvard  Club,  the  Bar  Association,  and  the  Oberlin  Alumni  Association. 
In  July,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Mary  C.  Mattocks. 

D.  D.  McKoou  is  descended  from  substantial  Scotch-American  ancestors. 
The  first  member  of  his  family  to  settle  in  this  country  was  his  great-grand- 
father, James  McKoon,  who  located  in  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  as  a  farmer. 
Judge  McKoon  was  born  upon  the  ancestral  farm  in  Herkimer  County, 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


287 


October  17,  1827.  He  was  educated  in  Fulton  Academy,  Oswego  County, 
and  after  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Kansom  H.  Tyler,  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  in  1854.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Phoenix,  N.  Y., 
in  partnership  with  Francis  David.  While  practicing  at  Phoenix  he  was 
elected  to  the  County  Judgeship  for  three  consecutive  terms,  but  in  1862,  at 
the  beginning  of  his  third  term,  he  resigned  his  position,  to  enlist  in  the 
army.  Joining  Company  D  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Kegiment,  New 
Tork  Volunteer  Infantry,  Judge  McKoon  went  to  the  front,  and  was  made  a 
first  lieutenant  and  acting  adjutant.  His  military  career,  however,  was  cut 
short  by  a  severe  atttack  of  typhoid  fever,  incapacitating  him  for  mental  or 
physical  effort  for  several  years.  After  recovering  his  health,  in  1866,  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Middletown,  N.  T.,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Foote,  McKoon  &  Stoddard.  In  1874  he  opened  an  office  in  New  Tork,  and 
although  for  the  succeeding  three  years  he  retained  an  office  in  Middletown 
also,  he  eventually  devoted  his  time  entirely  to  his  New  Tork,  office.  To 
partnership  in  the  latter  he  admitted  his  son,  D,  Gilbert  McKoon  in  1892, 
and  the  firm  is  now  composed  of  D.  D.  and  D.  G.  McKoon  and  David  B. 
Luckey.  Judge  McKoon  has  made  a  specialty  of  real  estate  litigation,  and  has 
acquired  a  large  and  valuable  practice.  While  of  late  he  has  transferred  the 
active  management  of  affairs  to  his  junior  partners,  he  still  acts  in  the 
capacity  of  adviser  and  counselor,  a  service  of  great  value  by  reason  of  his 
wide  experience  and  great  ability.  He  has  extensive  real  estate  and  financial 
interests,  and  is  at  present  Director  and  Treasurer  of  the  Kichmond  Home- 
stead Association  of  New  York,  President  of  the  Mannahasset  Park  Associa- 
tion of  Monmouth  County,  New  Jersey,  and  Vice-President  and  Director  of 
the  Frontier  Bank  of  Niagara  Falls,  N.  T.  Judge  McKoon  is  highly 
esteemed  and  respected  by  the  Bench  and  Bar  for  a  long  career  of  spotless 
integrity.    In  1852  he  married  Miss  Mary  Gilbert  of  Oswego  County. 

Henry  Melville,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Melville,  Martin  &  Ste- 
phens, was  born  in  Nelson,  N.  H.,  August  25,  1858.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Josiah  H.  and  Nancy  Nesmith  Melville,  and  descends  through  parents  from 
soldiers  of  the  Kevolution.  His  early  education  was  preparatory  to  a  college 
course.  He  entered  Dartmouth  College  in  the  class  of  '79,  and  graduated 
with  honor.  For  two  years  he  was  principal  of  a  high  school  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  then  began  the  study  of  law  at  the  Law  School  of  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, from  which  he  received  his  degree  in  1884,  representing  the  Law  School 
at  the  Harvard  Commencement  of  that  year.  Kemoving  to  New  Tork,  Mr. 
Melville  entered  the  office  of  James  C.  Carter,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
the  following  year,  becoming  professionally  associated,  shortly  afterward, 
with  ex-Senator  Eoscoe  Conkling.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Conkling,  Mr. 
Melville  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Dougherty,  Melville  &  Sweetzer, 
which  existed  until  the  death  of  Daniel  Dougherty,  the  senior  partner. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  corporation,  patent  and  trade-mark  law,  and  has  be- 


288 


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come  a  notable  and  prosperous  member  of  his  profession.  His  methods  com- 
mand respect,  and  his  record  illustrates  the  success  of  a  self-made  man  of  real 
ability.  In  politics  Mr.  Melville  is  a  Eepublican.  He  has  long  been  promi- 
nent in  the  Eepublican  Club  of  New  York,  holding  many  important  offices  in 
that  organization.  He  holds  a  Captain's  commission  in  the  Eighth  Eegiment 
of  the  National  Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Lawyer's  and  Harvard  Clubs,  the  Association  of  the  Bar,  Good  Government 
Club  F.,  New  England  Society,  Seventh  Eegiment  Veteran  Club,  and  the 
Sons  of  the  Eevolution. 

George  MacCulloch  Miller,  son  of  Jacob  W.  Miller  and  Mary  MacCulloch, 
was  born  in  Morristown  N.  J.,  in  1832.  His  father  was  a  lawyer  and  United 
States  Senator  from  1841  to  1853.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  George  P. 
MacCulloch,  and  granddaughter  of  an  officer  in  the  English  Army  who  was 
killed  in  Bombay.  In  1850  Mr.  Miller  was  graduated  from  Burlington  Col- 
lege. He  then  read  law  in  his  father's  office,  took  a  course  at  Harvard  Law 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  his  native  State  in  1853.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  moved  to  New  York,  since  which  time  he  has  pursued  his 
profession  with  increasing  success,  especially  in  banking  and  railroad  litiga- 
tion. In  1871  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Newport  and  Wickford  Eail- 
road;  in  1873  Director  of  the  New  York,  Providence  and  Boston  Eailroad; 
in  1879  President  of  the  Providence  and  Stonington  Steamboat  Line;  in  1881 
President  of  the  Denver,  Utah  and  Pacific  Eailroad ;  and  subsequently  Vice- 
President  of  the  New  York,  Providence  and  Boston  Eailroad ;  President  of 
the  Housatonic  Eailroad,  Director  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford 
Eailroad,  Trustee  of  the  Central  Trust  Co.,  Bleecker  Street  Bank  of  Savings, 
Greenwood  Cemetery,  and  many  other  corporations.  In  all  of  these  respon- 
sibilities he  has  been  recognized  as  a  man  of  distinguished  ability  and  integ- 
rity. In  politics  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Eepublican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Seventy  which,  in  1894,  accomplished  so  much  in  the  advancement 
of  municipal  reform.  In  religion  he  is  an  Episcopalian,  and  is  one  of  the 
original  trustees  of  the  corporation  of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine. 
He  has  also  been  conspicuously  identified  with  another  magnificent  institution 
which  crowns  the  acropolis  of  the  City,  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  of  which  he  has 
been  a  Trustee,  Secretary  or  President  for  the  past  thirty  years.  In  1857  he 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Lindley  Murray  Hoffman,  and  has  two  sons 
and  three  daughters.  The  oldest  son,  Hoffman  Miller,  is  a  partner  in  his 
father's  law  firm  of  Miller,  Peckham  &  Dixon,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
substantial  legal  concerns  in  the  City. 

Eichard  H.  Mitchell,  lawyer  and  Member  of  Assembly,  was  born  in  New 
York  City.  He  is  the  younger  son  of  Dr.  James  B.  and  Emma  Henry  Mitch- 
ell. His  ancestors  were  of  Irish  and  German  stock,  one  of  the  latter  having 
been  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  under  President  Washington.  After 
securing  a  thorough  preparatory  education  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York, 


HENRY  MELVILLE. 


RICHARD  H.  MITCHELL. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


291 


Mr.  Mitchell  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1888.  He  attended  Columbia  Law  School  in  1890 
and  1891,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  the  latter  year.  After  a  brief  con- 
nection with  the  firm  of  Morgan  &  Ives  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Kollin 
M.  Morgan,  which  still  continues  under  the  name  of  Morgan,  Whiton  &  Mitch- 
ell. Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  lawyer  of  high  standing  in  his  profession,  a  young 
man  of  integrity  and  much  ability.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  being  naturally 
fond  of  affairs  political,  has  become  justly  prominent  and  popular  among  his 
party  friends.  Mr.  Mitchell  is  an  effective  campaign  speaker.  He  has  long 
been  a  member  of  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee,  and  one  of  the 
Committee  on  Organization,  and  is  now  Secretary  of  the  Tammany  Hall 
General  Committee  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly  District.  His  election  to 
the  Assembly  (his  first  public  office),  was  accomplished  by  a  decisive  majority 
as  the  candidate  of  Tammany  Hall  over  his  Eepublican  and  Citizens'  Union 
opponent — in  itself  a  pleasing  evidence  of  the  popi;lar  estimation  in  which  he 
is  held.  Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  New  York,  the 
Democratic  Club,  the  Fordham  Club,  the  Tremont  Club,  Sch n ore r  Club,  the 
League  of  American  Wheelmen,  and  many  local  organizations  in  his  District. 

Charles  N.  Morgan,  of  69  Wall  Street,  bears  an  honored  family  name  which 
recalls  some  conspicuous  characters  in  the  history  of  New  York.  The  descen- 
dants of  the  emigrant  ancestor,  James  Morgan,  who  came  to  America  in 
1640,  include  the  late  Governor  E.  D.  Morgan,  of  New  York  State,  and  Dr. 
William  F.  Morgan,  late  Kector  of  St.  Thomas'  Church,  New  York.  All 
recent  generations  of  the  family  have  been  prominent  in  affairs.  Charles  N. 
Morgan  was  born  in  Perry,  Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.,  August  22,  1841,  and 
received  an  academic  education  at  Perry.  He  read  law  with  Abbott  &  Ward, 
at  Geneseo,  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  December, 
1863,  and  for  six  years  devoted  himself  uninterruptedly  to  his  profession. 
In  1869  he  was  induced  to  assume  the  responsible  position  of  President  of  the 
Excelsior  Life  Insurance  Co.,  which  he  relinquished,  however,  in  1872,  when 
he  resumed  his  law  practice.  In  1882  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Robert 
H.  Worthington,  which  continued  until  1890,  since  which  time  he  has  con- 
ducted his  business  alone.  His  practice  is  in  civil  causes,  corporation  mat- 
ters, etc.,  in  which  he  is  very  successful.  With  decided  literary  tastes,  active 
politics  have  had  no  attractions  for  him.  He  belongs  to  several  social  and 
professional  organizations,  however,  including  the  Manhattan,  Calumet  and 
Harlem  Clubs,  the  Down  Town  Association,  Bar  Association  and  Kane  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.  In  1869  he  married  a  daughter  of  George  Farmer,  and  has  one 
son,  George  E.  Morgan,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Columbia  University,  and  a 
follower  of  his  father's  professional  example. 

Charles  Coleman  Nadal  was  born  in  Greencastle,  Ind.,  December  8,  1855. 
He  is  the  son  of  Bernard  Harrison  Nadal,  D.D„,  who  was  then  a  professor  in 
the  Indiana  Asbury  University,  now  De  Pauw  University,  and  who,  at  the  time 


292 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


of  his  death,  was  a  professor  in  the  Drew  Theological  Seminary  of  Madison, 
N.  J.  Mr.  Nadal  was  educated  at  private  schools,  and  the  Columbia  College 
Law  School,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1877.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of 
F.  P.  Bellamy,  of  Brooklyn,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1878.  The 
next  two  years  he  spent  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Kelley  &  McEae,  further 
familiarizing  himself  with  the  machinerj^  of  the  law,  and  then  began  practice 
by  himself.  In  1887  he  became  counsel  for  the  Fidelity  Casualty  Company,  of 
New  York,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  1892  he  formed  the  firm  of 
Nadal,  Smyth  &  Berrier.  The  following  year  Mr.  Berrier  dropped  out  of 
the  firm,  and  the  present  partnership  of  Nadal,  Smyth,  Carrere  &  Trafford 
came  into  existence.  The  practice  of  the  firm  is  largely  devoted  to  its  duties 
as  counsel  for  the  Fidelity  Casualty  Company,  and  the  defense  of  negligence 
cases  and  the  handling  of  insurance  matters.  Mr.  Nadal  is  a  member  of  the 
Bar  Association,  and  of  the  City  Club.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
latter,  and  is  one  of  its  Trustees.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Good 
Government  Clubs  of  the  City,  and  was  for  some  time  President  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Confederated  Good  Government  Clubs.  In  the  fall  of  1895,  the  Good 
Government  Club  influence  having  waned,  a  movement  was  inaugurated  which 
resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Citizens'  Union.  As  President  of  the  Good 
Government  Clubs,  Mr.  Nadal  was  largely  instrumental  in  effecting  this  or- 
ganization, which  took  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  first  municipal  campaign 
of  the  Greater  New  York  in  1897.  In  that  year  he  was  made  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee,  and  then  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Speakers 
and  Meetings.  He  assisted  in  securing  Seth  Low's  nomination  for  Mayor, 
and  worked  industriously  for  the  success  of  the  Citizens'  Union  Ticket.  Mr. 
Nadal  was  married  in  1890  to  Mary  Taylor  Warrin,  the  granddaughter  of 
Samuel  Lord,  founder  of  the  house  of  Lord  &  Taylor,  and  has  one  son. 

Francis  V.  S.  Oliver  was  born  in  New  York  City,  June  20,  1842,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  parochial  school  and  St.  John's  College.  He 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Elias  J.  Beach,  of  Queens  County,  and  James 
S.  Carpentier,  formerly  partner  of  David  Graham,  Jr.,  brother  of  John  Gra- 
ham, lawyers  of  renown.  Mr.  Oliver  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  December, 
1863,  and  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  has  conducted  a  general  practice, 
and  assisted  his  brother,  Assemblyman  James  Oliver,  the  originator  of  the 
small  parks  system,  in  many  noted  criminal  cases.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  had  his  office  in  "Jauncey  Court,"  Wall  Street,  an  old  landmark,  and  at 
No.  27  "Wall  Street,  where  the  Drexel  Building  now  stands,  with  Gen.  Daniel 
W.  Adams,  of  Louisiana.  He  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party  all  his  life,  and  in  1895  was  made  Assistant  District 
Attorney  under  John  E.  Fellows.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association 
when  "William  M.  Evarts  was  President  and  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  Vice-Presi- 
dent. He  has  always  been  a  ready  and  forcible  speaker  and  debater,  been 
among  the  foremost  in  advocating  and  securing  measures  of  public  benefit, 


Tlie  Bench  and  Bar'  of  New  York. 


295 


and  has  been  especially  zealous  in  behalf  of  the  improvement  of  the  Bronx 
District.  He  has  worked  earnestly  for  rapid  transit,  for  the  opening  of  the 
Harlem  Ship  Canal,  the  abatement  of  the  Eiker's  Island  nuisance,  the  con- 
nection of  the  parkway  system,  playgrounds  for  children,  small  parks,  and 
public  libraries.  He  has  also  advocated  a  separate  department  of  public  im- 
provement for  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Alumni  of  St.  John's  College,  Fordham,  the  North  Side  Board  of 
Trade,  the  Schnorer  Club  of  Morrisania,  and  is  a  Trustee  of  St.  Jerome's 
Catholic  Church.  He  materially  aided  in  the  passage  of  the  Greater  New 
York  Charter  in  1897,  being  of  great  assistance  to  Andrew  H.  Green  by  his 
practical  work  and  clear-cut  and  eloquent  speeches.  He  has  a  family  of 
two  sons  and  four  daughters.  Tor  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  lived  in  the 
Bronx  District,  but  his  office  is  at  220  Broadway.  He  is  counsel  for  many 
corporations  and  religious  and  charitable  institutions. 

Charles  M.  Parsons  was  born  in  Grayson  County,  Virginia,  January  21, 
1847.  His  ancestors  came  to  this  country  in  Colonial  days.  His  father  was 
a  well-to-do  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  is  yet  living  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and 
was  educated  in  the  grammar  schools  and  Independence  High  School  of 
Virginia.  After  reading  law  the  requisite  period,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
in  the  State  of  Kentucky  in  1873.  As  his  practice  developed  he  secured  the 
business  of  many  Boston  and  New  York  parties,  and  became  interested  in 
railroad  enterprises,  large  coal  and  land  investments.  In  August,  1882,  he 
was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  his  county,  holding  the  office  four  years. 
While  serving  in  this  capacity  he  was  under  the  law  the  legal  adviser  of  all 
the  civil  officers  of  the  county.  In  1890  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomina- 
tion for  Congress  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  There  being  several  candidates 
before  the  convention,  a  deadlock  resulted  for  three  days.  Although  he  only 
lacked  a  few  votes  to  secure  the  nomination,  his  business  interests  required 
his  attention,  therefore  he  went  before  the  convention  and  withdrew  his  name, 
and  named  the  man  that  was  nominated  and  elected.  In  June,  1895,  he  was 
elected  by  the  Bar,  Judge  pro  tem.  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  Twenty-fourth 
Judicial  District;  and  again  elected  to  the  same  position  in  June,  1896. 
This  position  he  held  during  the  illness  of  the  regular  Judge,  who  was  able  to 
resume  his  duties  in  October,  1896.  Although  enjoying  an  extensive  practice 
in  Kentucky,  he  came  to  New  York  City  in  the  latter  part  of  1896,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York  by  the  Appellate  Division  of  the  New  York 
Supreme  Court  in  January,  1897.  His  offices  are  at  150  Nassau  Street.  In 
1861,  although  young,  he  was  ambitious,  and  believed  he  was  a  man  of 
mature  age.  He  entered  the  Confederate  service,  remaining  through  the  war, 
and  attained  the  rank  of  captain  of  cavalry.  In  1888,  during  the  Hatfield- 
McCoy  vendetta  in  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia,  Governor  Simon  B.  Buck- 
ner,  of  Kentucky,  commissioned  him  captain,  with  a  company  of  sixty  picked 


296 


New  York:  21ie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


men,  to  suppress  the  existing  troubles,  and  to  protect  other  citizens  and  prop- 
erty from  violence,  and  to  assist  the  civil  officers  in  the  proper  enforcement  of 
the  law.  Six  of  the  Hatfield  gang  were  arrested  in  West  Virginia  and  tried 
in  Kentucky.  He  was  employed  as  counsel  to  assist  in  the  prosecution. 
One  was  hanged  and  five  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  life.  In  the  present  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain,  he,  on  the  30th  of  March,  1898,  asked 
President  McKinley  by  letter  for  a  brigade  in  the  event  war  was  declared, 
which  letter  was  by  the  President  referred  to  the  War  Department  for  con- 
sideration, but  so  far  no  further  information  has  been  received.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1895,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eleanor  Iselin  Horn,  of  New  York  City. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  general  committee  of  the  Democratic  organization  of 
New  York,  and  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Eugene  Lamb  Eichards,  Jr.,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  June 
14,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of  Eugene  L.  Eichards,  who  for  thirty  years  has  been 
Senior  Professor  of  Mathematics  at  Yale  College.  He  comes  of  an  old  New 
York  family,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  General  John  Lamb,  the  first  Col- 
lector of  the  Port  of  New  York  under  Washington,  and  of  General  Anthony 
Lamb,  Secretary  of  State  under  Governor  Tompkins.  Mr.  Eichards  was  edu- 
cated at  Yale  College,  and  graduated  fifth  in  the  class  of  '85.  He  entered  the 
law  office  of  Alexander  &  Green,  and  after  reading  law  for  two  years,  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  the  Spring  of  1887.  He  began  practice  with  this  firm, 
and  so  continued  until  1891,  when  he  organized  the  firm  of  Janeway,  Thacher 
&  Eichards.  The  latter  partnership  continued  until  January,  1896,  when  Mr. 
Eichards  assumed  the  duties  of  Special  Deputy  Attorney-General  for  the 
State.  As  sj^ecial  counsel  for  the  State  Superintendent  of  Insurance,  he  had 
charge  of  the  proceedings  instituted  by  the  State  against  the  Insurance  Lloyds, 
and  in  conjunction  with  Colonel  John  E.  Fellows,  succeeded  in  driving  more 
than  100  illegitimate  concerns  out  of  business.  While  his  practice  is  general 
in  its  scope,  he  devotes  especial  attention  to  insurance  matters,  corporation 
law,  and  the  trial  of  suits  for  damages  arising  out  of  personal  injuries.  He 
is  general  counsel  for  many  insurance  companies  and  large  corporations.  In 
politics  Mr.  Eichards  is  a  Eepublican.  He  has  little  time  to  devote  to  club 
life,  but  is  a  member  of  the  Lawyers',  Yale  and  Eichmond  County  Country 
Clubs,  as  well  as  being  the  President  of  the  Staten  Island  Cricket  Club.  In 
1892  he  married  Miss  Florence  W.  Elmendorf,  of  an  old  and  highly  honored 
Dutch  stock,  whose  ancestor,  Conrad  Van  Elmendorf,  was  the  first  Burgher 
of  Kingston,  N.  Y. 

John  H.  Eogan  was  born  in  New  York  City,  August  3,  1863,  and  after 
receiving  a  good  public-school  education,  studied  law  in  the  office  of  John 
McKeon  and  Justice  Frederick  Smyth,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years.  His  association  with  these  eminent  lawyers  was  of  the 
utmost  value  to  him.  Mr.  McKeon  was  a  man  of  great  legal  ability  and 
more  than  local  prominence,  having  been  Member  of  Assembly,  Member  of 


JOHN   H.    ROGAN.  ALEXANDER  ROSENTHAL. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York, 


299 


Congress  for  several  terms,  District  Attorney  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1883,  District 
Attorney  of  the  County  of  New  York.  Justice  Smyth  is  a  man  of  high  legal 
attainments,  having  been  Recorder  of  the  City  of  New  York  previous  to  his 
elevation  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench  in  1895,  and  is  noted  alike  for  the 
ability  of  his  reasoning,  and  justice  of  his  judgments.  Intimately  associated 
with  Justice  Smyth  for  twenty-one  years,  and  with  Mr.  McKeon  for  a  shorter 
period,  it  was  natural  that  Mr.  Eogan  should  acquire  something  of  their  char- 
acter and  become  assimilated  with  their  methods  of  legal  thought.  So  fully 
did  he  win  Justice  Smyth's  confidence  that  the  latter  intrusted  him  with  the 
care  of  his  private  practice  when  by  his  election  as  Recorder  the  old  firm 
was  dissolved.  Since  Justice  Smyth's  elevation  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench 
in  1895,  Mr.  Eogan  has  successfully  continued  the  latter's  law  business,  and 
has  conducted  a  general  practice  of  his  own,  in  which  he  has  displayed  ability, 
and  he  has  acted  as  referee  in  many  important  and  difficult  cases.  In  politics 
Mr.  Eogan  is  a  Democrat,  and  for  many  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall,  but  has  never  held  political  office.  In 
addition  to  belonging  to  the  Tammany  Society,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick,  Driving  Club  of  New 
York,  and  the  Jefferson  Club  of  the  Sixteenth  Assembly  District,  of  which 
latter  he  has  been  Treasurer  for  several  years. 

Alexander  Eosenthal  was  born  in  Kings  County,  N.  Y.,  now  embraced  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  November  3,  1865.  He  was  educated  successively  in 
the  public  schools,  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  Columbia  Law 
School,  graduating  from  the  latter  June  12,  1889.  On  June  25,  1889,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  at  once  formed  a  partnership  with  Morris  H.  Hay- 
man,  under  the  style  of  Hayman  &  Eosenthal,  whose  offices  are  at  No.  234 
Broadway.  Mr.  Eosenthal  has  a  general  civil  and  criminal  business,  and  has 
appeared  with  notable  ability  in  some  well-known  cases.  Among  the  latter 
may  be  mentioned  the  Lovitz  murder  case  in  1891,  in  which  he  defended  the 
accused  against  Hon.  Francis  M.  Wellman  and  Judge  Simms,  who  represented 
the  people,  and  was  highly  complimented  by  Judge  Brady  for  his  conduct  of 
the  case.  Another  trial  in  which  he  attracted  attention  was  the  Kramer  elec- 
tion case,  which  was  prosecuted  by  District  Attorney  Olcott  in  person.  Mr. 
Eosenthal  and  his  colleague  are  attorneys  for  a  number  of  leading  wholesale 
dry  goods,  grocery  and  liquor  houses  of  the  city.  Mr.  Eosenthal  drew  up  the 
bill  which  recently  passed  the  Legislature,  regulating  the  practice  of  law,  and 
excluding  bogus  lawyers  from  the  courts.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
is  a  member  of  Tammany  Hall.  He  has  never  held  public  office,  but  has  been 
a  delegate  to  Democratic  State  and  County  conventions  for  a  number  of  years. 

George  Eyall,  of  the  law  firm  of  Baggott  &  Eyall,  309  Broadway,  is  a 
native  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  where  he  was  born  in  1858.  In  the  old  country  he 
had  taken  up  the  profession  of  law,  but  he  saw  in  the  new  world  a  wider  field 


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for  the  development  and  exercise  of  his  genius,  and  so  about  fifteen  years  ago 
be  left  liis  native  land  and  came  to  New  York.  He  entered  the  law  office  of 
J.  H.  Hubbell  &  Co.,  and  while  applying  himself  to  the  acquisition  of  the 
necessary  training  for  the  American  Bar,  also  built  up  a  large  circle  of  per- 
sonal friends.  In  this  office  he  first  met  his  present  partner,  Vallandigham 
B.  Baggott,  and  a  mutual  appreciation  sprang  up  which  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  the  firm  of  Baggott  &  Eyall,  successors  of  Hubbell  &  Co.  The 
business  of  Baggott  &  Eyall  is  conducted  upon  a  carefully  planned  system, 
and  their  success  is  due  to  their  untiring  efi'orts  to  render  faithful  service  to 
their  clients  in  all  matters  intrusted  to  their  care.  The  energy  and  persist- 
ency with  which  their  business  and  the  interests  of  their  clients  are  pursued 
have,  in  a  great  measure,  been  the  means  of  the  rapid  growth  of  their  busi- 
ness. They  make  a  specialty  of  commercial  law,  but  are  not  confined  to  that 
branch  of  practice.  Their  names  appear  as  attorneys  of  record  for  causes  in 
all  the  courts  of  New  York  and  adjoining  counties.  They  also  have  trust- 
worthy correspondents  all  over  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  are  exten- 
sive forwarders  of  claims. 

Henry  Woodward  Sackett  was  born  at  Enfield,  N.  Y.,  August  31,  1853,  the 
son  of  Solon  Philo  Sackett,  a  physician  of  high  standing,  and  Lovedy  Wood- 
ward Sackett.  Colonel  Sackett  comes  of  good  old  Puritan  and  Revolutionary 
stock.  His  ancestors  emigrated  from  England  to  Massachusetts  Bay  in  1631. 
Shortly  after  arriving  there  the  family  removed  to  Ehode  Island.  Colonel 
Sackett's  great-grandfather  was  Major  Buel  Sackett,  of  the  Continental  Army, 
his  grandfather  was  a  captain  in  the  American  Army  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
the  martial  spirit  of  the  family,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Colonel  Sackett  follows 
the  peaceful  profession  of  law,  appears  in  his  membership  in  Squadron  A, 
and  his  appointment  by  Governor  Black  as  a  member  of  his  military  staff. 
He  prepared  for  college  at  the  Ithaca  Academy,  spent  one  year  in  teaching, 
and  then  entered  Cornell  University  in  the  class  of  '75,  graduating  with  high- 
est rank  in  mathematics,  and  many  class  honors.  He  taught  Latin  and  Greek 
at  Monticello  Academy  for  a  year,  and  removing  to  New  York  studied  law, 
and  wrote  Court  Eeports  and  special  articles  for  the  "Tribune. "  In  1879  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  and  entered  the  law  firm  of  Cornelius  A.  Eunkle, 
counsel  for  the  "Tribune,"  to  which  position  he  succeeded  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Eunkle  in  1888.  In  April,  1888,  he  tormed  a  partnership  with  Charles  G. 
Bennett,  which  continued  for  six  years.  In  1894  the  firm  became  Sackett  <fe 
McQuaid.  It  is  now  Sackett,  Bacon  &  McQuaid,  the  junior  members  of  the 
firm  being  Selden  Bacon  and  William  A.  McQuaid,  both  Yale  men.  Mr. 
Sackett  still  contributes  occasionally  to  the  editorial  columns  of  the  "Tribune, " 
and  has  published  a  valuable  little  work  on  the  law  of  libel  for  the  use  of 
newspaper  men.  He  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  public  office,  but  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  all  reform  movements  in  the  municipal  affairs  of  New 
York.    He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Cornell  Club,  its  President  in 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


303 


1896  and  1897,  and  lias  been  untiring  in  bis  efforts  for  its  success.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence.  Colonel 
Sackett  is  an  active  and  influential  member  of  many  social  organizations,  such 
as  the  University,  City,  and  Hardware  Clubs,  the  Association  of  the  Bar, 
American  Geographical  Society,  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Eevolu- 
tion,  New  York  Society  of  the  Order  of  Founders  and  Patriots  of  America,  of 
which  he  is  State  Attorney,  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Alumni  Association.  He 
resides  at  the  Hotel  Manhattan  in  the  winter  season,  and  in  the  summer  at 
Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.  In  1886  Colonel  Sackett  married  Elizabeth  Titus,  of 
Brooklyn. 

Henry  W.  Scott,  the  distinguished  advocate,  judge,  jurist  and  author,  is  in 
the  most  literal  sense  of  the  term,  a  self-made  man.  He  is  the  son  of  Caleb 
Longest  and  Charlotte  Templeton  Scott,  and  is  a  native  of  Sangamon  County, 
Illinois.  His  father  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  and  Kichard  Yates.  Judge  Scott  comes  from  lineal  Eevolutionary 
stock  on  both  sides  of  the  house,  and  from  his  sturdy  ancestry  has  received, 
by  the  unerring  laws  of  heredity,  the  faculties  and  strength  of  character  that 
have  supported  him  through  life.  He  finished  his  education  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  at  Lyons,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  following  his 
admission  he  was  taken  into  partnership  with  his  law  preceptor.  This  asso- 
ciation continued  until  his  appointment  by  President  Cleveland  in  February, 
1888,  to  the  position  of  Eegister  of  the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Larned, 
Kansas,  which  he  held  until  replaced  by  a  Kepublican  soon  after  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  Harrison.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  was  the  Democratic  can- 
didate indorsed  by  the  combined  opposition  to  the  Piepublican  nominee  for 
Judge  of  the  Sixteenth  Judicial  District  of  Kansas,  and  after  one  of  the  most 
hotly  and  bitterly  contested  judicial  elections  ever  held  in  the  State,  his 
opponent  was  declared  elected  by  a  majority  of  eight  votes.  Following  this 
defeat  his  friends  tendered  him  their  support  for  Congress  in  the  Seventh 
Congressional  District,  but  he  declined  to  allow  his  name  to  go  before  the  con- 
vention because  he  was  ineligible  on  account  of  age.  LTpon  the  death  of  Gen- 
eral Bragg  in  1891,  which  created  a  vacancy  in  the  Democratic  membership 
of  the  Inter-State  Commerce  Commission,  Judge  Scott's  name  was  presented 
to  President  Harrison  for  the  vacancy  by  the  Hon.  John  Sherman  and  the 
late  Senator  John  E.  Kenna,  of  West  Virginia,  and  his  appointment  was  urged 
by  many  of  the  most  distinguished  Senators  and  Congressmen  in  the  country. 
In  1893  President  Cleveland  again  honored  him  by  appointment  without  solic- 
itation to  the  position  of  United  States  District  Judge  for  the  Territory  of 
Oklahoma,  and  his  career  in  that  region  in  suppressing  lawlessness  and  crime, 
and  in  dealing  with  the  many  complicated  legal  questions  growing  out  of  the 
anomalous  condition  there,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  periods  of  his  life. 
Judge  Scott's  desire,  however,  permanently  to  abandon  political  and  official 
life  and  resume  the  active  practice  of  the  law  led  him,  in  1896,  to  resign  his 


204 


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oflBce  and  accept  a  law  partnership  in  the  City  of  New  York.  While  the 
arrangement  was  consunimated  in  March  of  that  year,  his  resignation  did  not 
take  effect  until  the  following  September.  His  success  at  the  Bar  has  been 
remarkable.  His  clientage  has  embraced  all  classes  of  business,  and  his  trial 
work  has  called  him  into  many  States  of  the  Union.  Judge  Scott  has  been 
counsel  in  many  notable  legal  trials,  some  of  the  most  recent  being  the  defense 
of  McClure,  Craig,  Thomas  and  others,  prosecuted  by  the  United  States  in 
the  United  States  District  Court  at  Chicago  in  December,  1896,  on  numerous 
charges  for  the  fraudulent  use  of  the  mails,  General  John  C.  Black  repre- 
senting the  Government;  the  celebrated  Stetson  will  case,  tried  in  Boston,  in 
March,  1897,  in  which  Adah  Eichmond  claimed  to  be  the  widow  of  John 
Stetson,  Jr. ;  the  suit  of  the  Montauk  tribe  of  Indians  against  the  Long  Island 
Kailroad  Company,  involving  4, 200  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  the  estate  of  the 
late  Austin  Corbin  on  Long  Island ;  various  suits  involving  the  estate  of  Josiah 
A.  Hyland,  the  wealthy  New  York  admiralty  lawyer ;  the  celebrated  divorce 
cases  of  McGown  vs.  McGown,  and  Magowan  vs.  Magowan  on  appeal  to  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  involving  a  construction  of  Article  4,  Section  1, 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States;  and  the  defense  of  Margaret  E. 
Cody,  prosecuted  by  George  and  Helen  Gould  on  a  charge  growing  out  of  the 
claim  that  Say  Goidd  had  a  wife  and  child  living  at  the  date  of  his  last  mar- 
riage. Judge  Scott  is  a  man  of  most  wonderful  energy  and  perseverance,  pos- 
sesses an  indomitable  will,  and  a  marvelous  capacity  for  great  physical  and 
mental  labor.  It  is  said,  no  doubt  with  perfect  truth,  that  Judge  Scott  has 
the  acquaintance  of  more  of  America's  prominent  men  than  any  man  of  his 
age  in  the  country.  His  name  has  frequently  been  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  Vice-Presidency  in  1900  by  his  friends  and  the  press  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  but  having  determined  to  continue  his  professional  work, 
he  gives  no  encouragement  to  anything  whatever  in  the  line  of  political 
achievement.  Judge  Scott  is  also  the  author  of  several  legal  works,  and  has 
written  many  able  papers  on  subjects  of  common  interest  to  the  world  in  gen- 
eral. In  November,  1896,  at  the  request  of  the  editor  of  the  "New  York 
Herald, ' '  he  wrote  a  strong  article  on  uniform  marriage  and  divorce  legislation, 
which  was  published  with  great  interest  throughout  this  country  and  abroad. 
We  may  add  in  concluding  this  sketch,  that  Judge  Scott  is  considerably  less 
than  thirty-five  years  old,  and  at  this  early  age  has  achieved  what  many  of 
the  ablest  and  most  ambitious  would  be  content  to  win  in  a  lifetime.  This 
success  is  more  remarkable  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  is  the  result  of  his  own 
efforts  and  ability  unaided  either  by  strong  friends  eager  to  push  him  forward, 
or  a  great  fortune,  which  is  looked  upon  in  these  days  as  so  necessary  to  a 
brilliant  success. 

Eichard  Cutts  Shannon,  Eepresentative  in  Congress  from  the  Thirteenth 
District  of  New  York,  was  born  in  New  London,  Conn.,  February  12,  1839; 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  entered  Colby  University,  from  which 


HENRY  W.  SCOTT. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


807 


he  waa  graduated  in  the  class  of  '62.  May  10,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  H.,  Fifth  Maine  Volunteers;  was  successively  promoted  to 
Second  Sergeant,  First  Lieutenant,  Captain,  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General 
of  Volunteers,  and  served  continuously  till  the  end  of  the  War,  receiving  the 
brevets  of  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  Volunteers.  In  1871  President 
Grant  appointed  Colonel  Shannon  Secretary  of  Legation  at  Eio  de  Janeiro, 
Brazil,  which  position  he  held  till  1875,  when  he  resigned,  and  the  following 
year  became  associated  with  important  railroad  interests  in  Brazil.  In  1885 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York,  after  a  course  of  study  at  the  Law 
School  of  Columbia  University,  and  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Pur- 
rington  &  Shannon.  In  1891  President  Harrison  appointed  him  United 
States  Minister  to  the  Eepublics  of  Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica  and  Salvador ;  and 
with  the  change  of  Administration  in  1893,  he  returned  to  New  York.  In 
1894  he  was  nominated  for  Congress  on  the  Eepublican  ticket  in  one  of  the 
Metropolitan  Districts — usually  Democratic  by  a  large  majority — and  after  a 
most  spirited  and  aggressive  campaign,  was  elected  by  a  small  plurality.  He 
was  re-elected  by  an  increased  plurality  in  1896,  and  has  made  a  worthy, 
popular  and  influential  representative.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
the  District  of  Columbia. 

Daniel  McLean  Shaw,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Shaw,  Fisk  & 
Stotesbury,  150  Nassau  Street,  was  born  in  Freehold,  Monmouth  County, 
N.  J.,  in  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  the  Hon.  Amos  Shaw  and  Caroline  English. 
His  grandmother  was  a  member  of  the  well-known  DeWitt  family,  which 
came  from  Holland,  while  his  great-grandfather  emigrated  from  Scotland  in 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Amos  Shaw,  while  following  the 
vocation  of  farming,  was  Associate  Justice  of  the  County  Court  of  Monmouth 
and  a  man  highly  respected  throughout  that  community.  The  son  attended 
the  district  school,  and  perfected  his  studies  in  the  Freehold  Institute,  and 
from  there  entered  Princeton  College,  from  which  latter  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1860,  subsequently  receiving  the  Master  of  Arts  degree.  He 
obtained  his  legal  grounding  in  the  office  of  Scudder  &  Carter,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  in  1862.  His  practice  has  been  confined  chiefly  to  the 
civil  departments,  and  he  has  especially  distinguished  himself  as  an  expert 
will  lawyer.  Among  his  notable  cases  have  been  those  involving  the  Lisinka 
Hall  will,  the  Leonard  Steigert  will  (the  latter  of  which  he  succeeded  in  having 
set  aside),  and  the  Felt  and  McGill  wills  involving  large  property  interests. 
He  has  also  been  successful  in  real  estate  matters,  and  has  gained  a  prominent 
position  at  the  Bar  through  ability  and  hard  work.  He  participated  actively 
in  the  formation  of  the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  of  which  he  is  an 
incorporator  and  trustee,  and  has,  for  sixteen  years,  been  Treasurer.  Not- 
withstanding his  active  professional  career,  his  usefulness  has  been  extended 
to  other  spheres.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Mark's  Hospital,  for 
which  he  has  acted  as  Treasurer  for  nine  successive  years ;  and  is  a  member 


308 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


of  the  Princeton,  the  Political  Science,  and  the  New  York  Athletic  Clubs. 
In  1863  Mr.  Shaw  was  married  to  Emma  Louise  West,  and  has  a  family  of 
three  sons  and  a  daughter.  Irving  McLean,  the  eldest  son,  is  Secretary  of  the 
North  Eiver  Savings  Bank,  and  William  West  Shaw,  his  second  son,  is  a 
member  of  his  father's  firm. 

John  Sabine  Smith,  a  well-known  lawyer  and  politician  of  New  York,  was 
born  in  Eandolph,  Vt.,  April  24,  1843.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
in  the  Orange  County,  Vt.,  Grammar  School,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  and  graduated  in  1863.  He  then  taught 
school  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  studying  law  at  the  same  time,  under  George  Gould, 
ex-Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Troy.  In  May,  1868,  Mr.  Smith  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York  at  Poughkeepsie.  In  the  following  year  he 
came  to  New  York  City  and  entered  the  law  office  of  W.  E.  Curtis,  afterward 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  actively  and 
successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  the  metropolis,  where  his  serv- 
ices have  been  retained  in  many  important  litigations.  Mr.  Smith  is  es- 
pecially successful  in  the  argument  of  cases  and  cross  examination.  He  was 
appointed  by  the  Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1897  as  one  of 
the  three  commissioners  to  take  testimony  and  determine  whether  a  system  of 
rapid  transit  should  be  constructed  by  the  City.  Their  report  in  favor  of 
construction  was  confirmed.  In  politics  Mr.  Smith  is  an  earnest  Republican, 
and  is  widely  known  and  esteemed  by  all  those  who  have  been  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  the  party  for  many  years,  and  his  advice  and  aid  are  of  the 
utmost  value.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Sub-Executive  Committee  of  the 
Republican  State  League  in  the  campaign  of  1888;  was  Chairman  of  the 
Campaign  Committee  of  Fifty  of  the  Republican  Club  in  1892,  and  in  that 
year  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Surrogate  for  New  York  County, 
receiving,  in  the  election  which  followed,  the  highest  vote  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  He  was  elected  President  of  the  Republican  Club  of  the  City  of  New 
York  in  1893,  in  which  organization  Mr.  Smith  has  been  one  of  the  most  un- 
tiring and  efficient  workers.  He  was  also  President  of  the  County  Committee 
of  the  County  of  New  York  in  1893.  In  the  campaigns  of  1896  and  1897  he 
was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Speakers  of  the  Republican  County  Com- 
mittee. He  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Committee  for  several 
years.  Socially  Mr.  Smith  has  many  interests.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
versity, Lawyers',  Republican,  Church  and  Quill  Clubs,  the  Bar  Association 
of  New  York,  the  State  and  National  Bar  Associations,  the  New  England 
Society  and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Alumni  Association.  He  has  been  Treas- 
urer of  the  East  Side  House  from  its  foundation,  and  was  for  some  time 
President  of  the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Trustee  of 
Trinity  College,  and  a  Director  of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Church  Schools 
and  Colleges, 

Nelson  Smith,  son  of  Samuel  Smith,  and  a  native  of  Middletown,  Delaware 


NELSON  SillTH. 


HERBERT  C.  SMYTH. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


311 


County,  N.  Y.,  descends  from  substantial  English  ancestry  on  his  father's 
side,  and  from  the  early  Dutch  settlers  of  New  Netherlands  through  his 
mother.  His  father  was  a  practical  millwright  and  civil  engineer,  and  also 
conducted  a  large  tannery  in  that  County.  His  great-grandfather,  Abel  Smith, 
born  in  North  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  in  1702,  married  Euth,  the  granddaughter 
of  Colonel  John  Jackson,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Militia,  and  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
of  Queens  County.  She  was  the  great-granddaughter  of  Robert  Jackson,  who 
was  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  and  member  of  the  con- 
vention called  by  the  first  English  Governor,  NicoUs,  to  ratify  the  laws 
imposed  by  the  Duke  of  York,  Lord  Proprietor.  Through  another  great- 
grandfather, Harmanus  Dumond,  Mr.  Smith  is  descended  from  Katrina 
Schuyler  Dumond,  daughter  of  David  Schuyler,  Mayor  of  Albany,  1705-1707. 
Mr,  Smith  received  his  academical  education  at  the  Delaware  Academy.  He 
then  took  special  courses  in  New  York  City,  subsequently  studying  law  with 
Samuel  Gordon  and  with  William  Murray.  Admitted  to  the  Bar,  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law  in  New  York  in  1854,  and  for  forty-four  years 
has  devoted  himself  closely  to  his  profession.  He  enjoys  a  wide  practice,  his 
reported  cases  covering  nearly  the  entire  range  of  the  laAV.  At  the  same  time 
he  has  kept  up  his  interest  in  the  study  of  the  sciences,  philosophy,  natural 
rights,  government,  political  economy  and  kindred  subjects.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  support  of  the  Democratic  cause  in  the  National  campaigns 
of  1884,  1888,  and  1892,  and  throughout  the  "campaign  of  education"  to 
promote  the  reform  of  the  Tariff  he  contributed  many  articles  and  made  many 
speeches  which  were  circulated  as  educational  documents.  In  1892  he  was 
elected  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Democratic  Ticket.  He  was  a  Delegate 
from  New  York  City  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1894,  and  was  an 
active  and  influential  member  of  that  notable  body.  He  was  credited  with 
many  of  the  reforms  effected  by  the  judiciary  article  of  the  Revised  Constitu- 
tion, particularly  the  creation  of  the  new  Court,  known  as  the  Appellate 
Division  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  took  the  place  of  the  old  General 
Term.  From  1890  to  1894  he  was  Chairman  of  the  General  Committee  of 
Tammany  Hall.  He  has  been  a  warm  sympathizer  with  the  cause  of  Ireland, 
and  for  four  years  was  Chairman  of  the  Central  Branch  of  the  Irish  Land 
League  of  America.  Mr.  Smith  is  one  of  the  charter  members,  by  Act  of 
the  Legislature,  of  the  Botanical  Garden  now  being  established  in  Bronx  Park, 
which  is  destined  to  outrival  the  famous  Kew  Gardens  near  London.  He  and 
Judge  Addison  Brown,  of  the  United  States  District  Court,  prepared  the  bill 
to  establish  the  Garden,  and  he  watched  the  passage  of  the  bill  through  the 
Legislature.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American,  the  State  and  the  New  York 
City  Bar  Associations,  the  Law  Institute,  the  Press  and  Democratic  Clubs, 
the  Business  Men's  Democratic  Association,  and  many  other  societies.  He 


312 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


combines  a  strong  personality  with  kind  and  affable  manners,  and  possesses 
the  rare  facult}'  of  making  friends  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Herbert  C.  Smyth  was  born  in  New  York  City,  December  19,  1870. 
He  includes,  among  his  distinguished  progenitors,  Francis  Lewis,  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  His  father  was 
J.  Kennedy  Smyth,  one  of  New  York's  old-time  successful  merchants,  being 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Smyth  &  Henderson,  importers  forty-five  years  ago; 
and  his  mother  was  Miss  Julia  G.  Ogden,  daughter  of  Samuel  G.  Ogden,  at 
one  time  a  prominent  ship  owner  in  New  York.  After  Mr.  Smyth  had  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education,  he  entered  Columbia  Law  School,  and 
while  pursuing  his  studios  there  the  controversy  arose  which  led  to  Professor 
Dvvight's  resignation.  In  common  with  other  members  of  his  class,  and  the 
majority  of  the  Law  School  Faculty,  who  were  in  sympathy  with  Professor 
Dwight,  he  left  the  college  and  entered  the  New  Y'^ork  Law  School,  which  was 
organized  in  consequence.  Having  concluded  his  course  in  the  new  school, 
he  read  law  in  the  office  of  ex-Judge  Nelson  J.  Waterbury,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  in  April,  1892.  He  began  practice  in  association  with  Judge 
Waterbury  and  son,  but  in  June,  1895,  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Nadal, 
Smyth  &  Berrier,  which,  in  October,  1896,  was  reorganized,  and  continued  as 
Nadal,  Smyth,  Carrere  &  Trafford.  Their  practice  is  devoted  largely  to  the 
defense  of  negligence  cases  brought  against  corporations  and  employers  of 
men,  and  to  the  conduct  of  the  legal  department  of  the  Fidelity  and  Casualty 
Co.,  principally  in  jury  trials.  By  virtue  of  his  Colonial  and  Kevolutionary 
ancestry,  Mr.  Smyth  holds  membership  in  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  City  Bar  Association,  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,  the  Manhattan  and  Colonial  Clubs,  and  a  patron 
of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art.  In  April,  1896,  he  married  Maimee  S. 
Murray,  daughter  of  George  Murray,  an  old  and  popular  hotel  man,  particu- 
larly well  known  to  New  Yorkers  as  the  proprietor  for  many  years  of  the 
Sherwood  Hotel,  which  occupies  the  present  site  of  Delmonico's,  at  Forty- 
fourth  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue.    They  have  one  son,  Herbert  C.  Smyth,  Jr. 

George  W.  Stephens  was  born  at  Coeymans,  Albany  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1844.  His  early  education  was  secured  at  the  public  schools.  He 
then  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  graduated  in  the  class 
of  '63.  Two  years  later  he  received  his  degree  from  the  Columbia  Law 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York  in  the  same  year.  While 
a  student  at  the  law  school,  Mr.  Stephens  was  also  a  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Judge  W.  E.  Curtis,  late  Chief  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New  York. 
For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Stephens  practiced  his  profession  alone,  but  in 
1877  he  became  a  partner  of  Walter  J.  Foster,  the  name  of  the  firm  being 
Foster  &  Stephens,  which  continued  until  1892.  Mr.  Stephens  then  resumed 
the  practice  of  law  alone,  and  has  accumulated  a  large  and  lucrative  general 
civil  practice.    He  was  long  prominently  identified  with  the  legal  affairs  of 


:;hristopher  g.  tiedeman. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  NeiD  York. 


315 


Long  Island  City.  Mr.  Stephens  Las  accoinplished  some  interesting  results 
in  the  course  of  a  very  active  and  successful  legal  career.  Among  these  may 
be  mentioned  the  fact  that  out  of  twelve  consecutive  cases  before  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  where  he  appeared  as  counsel  for  the  appellant,  he  secured  nine 
reversals.  In  politics  Mr.  Stephens  is  a  Eepublican.  He  was  appointed  by 
Mayor  Strong  a  member  of  the  Change  of  Grade  Commission,  for  the  Twenty- 
third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  but  beyond  this  has  held  no  political  office. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Eepublican  Club  of  New  York,  and  of  theKoyal 
Arcanum,  of  which  he  was  District  Deputy  for  three  years ;  and  also  member 
of  the  Suburban  Club,  the  Fordham  Club,  and  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade. 
Mr.  Stephens  was  married  in  1874  to  Arline  E.  Lister,  and  has  two  children. 

Ira  Bliss  Stewart  was  born  in  Batavia,  Genesee  County,  N.  T.,  on  the 
28th  day  of  October,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Keuben  Nelson  Stewart  and 
Harriet  Dewey  Ford,  both  descended  from  old  New  England  families.  His 
paternal  ancestor,  Paul  Stewart,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  joined  the  Continental 
forces,  and  was  present  at  Yorktown  on  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  Mr. 
Stewart  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Batavia,  whose  head  was  then 
Professor  Gardner  Fuller,  now  Superintendent  of  the  State  Institution  for  the 
Blind  at  Batavia.  Through  the  personal  interest  of  Professor  Fuller,  Mr. 
Stewart  was  prepared  for  college  at  an  early  age,  but  his  hopes  in  that  direc- 
tion were  not  to  be  fiilfilled,  as  circumstances  compelled  him  to  undertake  his 
own  support  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  became  dis- 
satisfied with  mercantile  life,  and  entered  the  law  offices  of  Judge  Myron  H. 
Peck,  from  which  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Rochester  in  1878.  He 
practiced  in  Batavia  until  the  fall  of  1880,  when  he  removed  to  New  York, 
where  he  has  since  practiced  and  won  for  himself  a  wide  and  influential  clien- 
tage. His  excellent  training  and  long  experience  have  made  him  a  finished 
and  capable  lawyer,  while  his  firm  adherence  to  the  dictates  of  professional 
ethics  have  gained  him  the  respect  of  the  Bench  and  Bar.  Mr.  Stewart  has 
taken  no  active  part  in  politics  since  he  came  to  New  York ;  but  has  always 
been  a  staunch  Republican,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  of  that  party. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  vestryman  of  St.  Matthew's  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  "West  Eighty-fourth  Street,  and  upon  the  consolidation  of  the 
parishes  of  St.  Matthew's  and  St.  Ann's,  he  was  chosen  from  St.  Matthew's 
as  a  vestryman  of  the  consolidated  parish  for  a  term  of  three  years.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  Treasurer  of  the  Empire  State  Society  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  from  which  office  he  resigned  in  the  summer  of 
1897,  but  at  the  next  annual  election  of  the  society,  he  was  made  one  of  its 
Board  of  Management,  and  still  holds  that  position. 

Sidney  Harrison  Stuart,  as  his  honored  patronymic  indicates,  is  of  Scotch 
descent  in  the  paternal  line,  and  on  his  mother's  side  is  from  English  and 
Dutch  ancestry.  His  father,  Sidney  H.  Stuart,  was  a  distinguished  lawyer 
of  New  York,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1871,  was  considered  as  prob- 


310 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


ably  the  most  prominent  criminal  practitioner  of  his  day.  Born  in  the 
metropolis,  August  4,  1842,  Sidney  H.  Stuart  followed  in  the  professional 
footsteps  of  his  father,  and  is  now  one  of  the  conspicuous  representatives  of 
the  old  school  gentleman  and  lawj'er  of  the  City.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Thirteenth  Street  Grammar  School,  No.  35,  the  New  York  Free  Academy  (now 
the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York),  class  of  1862,  and  the  Columbia  Law 
School,  class  of  1864,  and  was  further  trained  in  his  profession  in  his  father's 
oflfice.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  just  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  and 
has  followed  his  profession  continuously  for  a  third  of  a  century.  While 
devoting  himself  to  a  general  civil  practice,  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  the 
construction  of  wills  and  the  settlement  of  estates,  in  which  delicate  and  per- 
plexing field  he  has  been  identified  with  many  prominent  cases.  Among  his 
present  engagements  he  is  attorney  for  the  New  York  Lumber  Trade  Associa- 
tion, which  is  composed  of  all  the  wholesale  and  retail  lumber  dealers  of  New 
York  City  and  vicinity.  In  1897  he  was  associated  with  the  counsel  of  the  Bar 
Association  and  the  State  Commissioners  for  the  Revision  of  the  Statutes  in 
the  preparation  of  the  present  Lien  Law.  In  politics  Mr.  Stuart  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  Club  of  the  City  of  New  York.  On 
February  28,  1878,  he  married  Isabella  Wells,  daughter  of  the  Secretary 
and  Treasurer  of  the  Newburgh,  Dutchess  and  Columbia  Railroad,  and  has 
two  children. 

William  Sulzer  was  born  in  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  March  18,  1863.    He  is  the 

son  of  Thomas  Sulzer,  who  was  compelled  to  flee  from  Germany  for  active 
participation  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  of  1848.  William  Sulzer  grad- 
uated from  Columbia  College,  and  upon  reaching  his  majority  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  of  New  York.  In  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  as  a  public 
advocate  of  Democracy,  he  quickly  won  recognition  by  his  force  and  acumen 
as  an  attorney,  political  leader  and  orator.  His  political  career  has  been  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  younger  generation.  He  stumped  the  States  of 
New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Connecticut  for  the  Democratic  National  Com- 
mittee in  1884  and  1888,  and  has  been  on  the  stump  as  a  popular  campaign 
speaker  in  every  campaign  since.  In  1889  he  was  elected  to  the  New  York 
State  Legislature,  and  was  re-elected  annually  thereafter  for  four  terms  more. 
When  the  Democrats  captured  a  majority  of  the  Assembly  in  1893,  nobody 
was  surprised  to  see  him  installed  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  his  party  col- 
leagues in  the  Speaker's  chair,  the  youngest  man  in  the  history  of  the  State  to 
whom  such  an  honor  had  been  accorded.  Among  the  legislative  acts  which 
he  introduced,  advocated  and  passed,  were  those  providing  for  the  State  care 
of  the  insane,  anti-Pinkerton  law,  prohibiting  net  fishing  in  Jamaica  Bay, 
abolishing  the  sweating  system,  establishing  the  woman's  reformatory,  venti- 
lating and  lighting  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  tunnel  in  New  York  City, 
codifying  the  quarantine  and  military  statutes,  organizing  free  evening  lec- 
tures for  working  people,  abolishing  imprisonment  for  debt,  guaranteeing 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


317 


freedom  of  worship,  providing  for  the  Columbian  celebration  in  New  York 
Ciij,  providing  for  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  many  others  affecting 
the  liberty  and  comfort  of  the  people.  In  November,  1894,  he  was  elected  to 
the  Fifty -fourth  Congress,  being  one  of  the  decimated  band  of  Democrats  who 
survived  the  tremendous  tidal  wave  that  year.  In  1896  he  was  re-elected  to 
Congress,  receiving  12,195  votes  against  10,435  for  Ferdinand  Eiman,  Re- 
publican. In  that  year  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Conven- 
tion at  Chicago,  and  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  Bryan  for  President  and  of 
the  Chicago  Platform.  In  Congress  he  has  won  distinction,  and  his  principal 
work  has  been  in  behalf  of  the  Cuban  insurgents  and  American  wage-earners. 
He  is  a  member  of  over  a  dozen  political  and  social  clubs  of  New  York,  and 
the  Fort  Orange  Club,  of  Albany.  Mr.  Sulzer  is  a  bright,  active  young  man, 
and  has  done  much  good  work  in  the  cause  of  the  people.  No  one  ever  ques- 
tioned his  intelligence  or  doubted  his  integrity.  He  is  a  hard  worker,  and 
believes  in  push  and  progress. 

Christopher  G.  Tiedeman,  teacher  and  author,  was  born  in  Charleston, 
S.  C,  July  16,  1857.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  graduated  from  the  College 
of  Charleston,  and  determined  to  study  law,  in  advance  of  which  he  went  to 
Europe  and  attended  the  lectures  on  law  and  political  science  at  the  univer- 
sities of  Goettingen  and  Leipsic,  by  way  of  careful  preparation  for  his  legal 
studies.  On  his  return  to  this  country,  Dr.  Tiedeman  entered  the  Law  School 
of  Columbia  University,  graduating  therefrom  with  the  class  of  '79.  He  then 
began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  his  native  city,  and  later  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.  Dr.  Tiedeman' s  mind  was  naturally  scholastic  and  philosophi- 
cal, and  when  elected  in  1881  to  a  professorship  in  the  Law  School  of  the 
University  of  Missouri,  he  retired  from  the  active  practice  of  the  law,  and  for 
ten  years,  amid  increasing  esteem,  was  an  important  member  of  the  Faculty 
ot  the  University.  In  1891  he  was  elected  to  a  similar  position  in  the  New 
York  University  Law  School  at  the  instance  of  William  Allen  Butler,  and  he 
accepted  this  offer  and  removed  to  New  York.  For  six  years  Dr.  Tiedeman 
remained  an  honored  member  of  the  Faculty  of  the  University.  In  1897, 
after  sixteen  years  of  continuous  service  as  a  teacher  of  the  law,  he  resigned 
his  active  connection  with  the  University.  Dr.  Tiedeman's  success  as  an  in- 
structor has  been  secured  by  the  qualities  of  head  and  heart  that  have  not  only 
won  admiration  and  respect  for  him  as  an  instructor,  but  have  endeared  him 
to  his  pupils  as  a  man.  The  regard  of  the  students  has  been  publicly  mani- 
fested by  their  establishing  the  Tiedeman  Chapter  of  the  Legal  Fraternity  of 
Phi  Delta  Phi.  Dr.  Tiedeman  is,  however,  more  extensively  known  to  the 
legal  profession  of  this  country  as  the  author  of  a  number  of  legal  treatises, 
of  which  may  be  mentioned  his  treatises  on  the  law  of  Real  Property,  Sales, 
Commercial  Paper,  Municipal  Corporations  and  Limitations  of  Police  Power. 
One  or  more  of  the  first  three  are  in  use  as  text  books  in  thirty-five  law 
schools,  while  the  work  on  Police  Power  is  considered  by  many  as  one  of  the 


318 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


most  important  legal  publications  of  the  past  quarter  of  a  century.  His 
brochure,  entitled  "The  Unwritten  Constitution  of  the  United  States, "  has 
been  the  occasion  of  extensive  discussion,  while  it  opened  up  a  new  field  of 
philosophic  investigation  in  the  science  of  government  and  constitutional  law. 

Perry  D.  Trafford  was  born  at  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  November  6,  1866,  and 
received  a  liberal  education,  graduating  successively  from  the  Fall  River  High 
School,  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  Harvard  College  (1889),  and  Harvard  Law 
School  (1891).  "When  in  college  he  was  a  member  of  the  Hasty  Pudding 
Club  and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Fraternity,  and,  in  the  Law  School,  of  the  Phi 
Delta  Phi.  He  took  a  keen  interest  in  athletics  during  his  university  days, 
an  interest  which  has  remained  unabated  since  then,  and  for  several  years 
was  a  member  of  the  Harvard  Athletic  Committee.  After  graduation  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Miller,  Peckham  &  Dixon,  and  two  years  later  the 
office  of  Strong  &  Cadwalader.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Nadal,  Smyth,  Carrere  &  Trafford,  of  97  Cedar  Street,  and  has 
made  a  specialty  of  litigation  and  the  trial  of  cases,  in  which  he  has  been  very 
successful.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association,  Harvard  Club,  Uni- 
versity Club,  and  Good  Government  Club  D  of  New  York  City,  and  the  Staten 
Island  Cricket  Club. 

Chauncey  Shaffer  Truax  was  born  in  Dunhamville,  N.  Y.,  in  1854.  The 
family  is  of  French  origin.  Philippe  du  Trieux,  the  immigrant  ancestor, 
came  to  this  country  in.  1623,  and  became  court  messenger  to  Director-General 
Peter  Minuit.  His  descendants  have  included  many  men  of  prominence  in 
professional  and  public  life.  Mr.  Truax  is  a  son  of  Henry  Philip  Truax  and 
Sarah  Ann  Shaffer.  His  mother's  brother,  the  late  Chauncey  Shaffer,  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Bar  of  this  City.  Young  Truax  attended  the  public 
schools  and  Oneida  Seminary,  entered  Hamilton  College,  and  after  a  brilliant 
course,  was  graduated  in  1875,  with  a  prize  for  oratory.  His  legal  training 
was  obtained  in  Columbia  Law  School,  which  gave  him  his  LL.B.  degree  in 
1877.  Through  the  recommendation  of  the  President  and  Faculty  of  Hamil- 
ton College,  he  was  appointed  instructor  in  international  and  commercial  law 
at  Robert  College,  Constantinople,  Turkey.  After  acceptably  filling  the  posi- 
tion for  two  years,  he  returned  to  New  York,  where  he  has  especially  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  practice  of  corporation,  commercial  and  banking  law, 
and  as  a  trial  lawyer.  In  1890  Mr.  Truax  formed  the  firm  of  Truax  &  Cran- 
dall,  and  for  a  year,  in  1895,  he  was  associated  in  practice  with  his  brother, 
Judge  Charles  H.  Truax,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Supreme  Court 
Bench.  Always  an  ardent  Democrat,  Mr.  Truax  has  participated  actively  in 
the  deliberations  of  the  party,  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  conventions  has  helped 
shape  the  policy  of  the  organization.  In  1881  he  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Platforms  at  the  convention  that  nominated  David  B.  Hill  for  Gov- 
ernor. Both  he  and  his  brother  Charles  were  members  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1894.    In  1886  he  founded  the  Greek  scholarship  at  Hamilton 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  Neia  York. 


319 


College,  and  much  of  his  recreation  consists  in  delving  into  the  classics  and 
classic  sites.  Mr.  Truax  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association,  the  Metropoli- 
tan Club,  the  Manhattan  and  Democratic  Clubs,  and  the  Holland  Society ;  a 
founder  of  the  Harlem  Society,  and  has  been  President  of  the  Hamilton  Col- 
lege Alumni  Association  of  New  York  City.  In  1886  he  was  married  to  Alice 
M.,  daughter  of  E.  K.  Hawley,  Esq.,  of  Cleveland,  O. 

John  DeWitt  Warner  was  born  October  30,  1851,  in  Yates  County,  N.  Y. 
His  father,  Daniel  DeWitt  Warner,  was  a  leading  Abolitionist  and  was  in  charge 
of  the  "Underground  Kailroad"  from  Havana,  N.  Y.,  to  Geneva,  where  Gerrit 
Smith  received  the  fugitives.  He  lived  in  Yates  County,  N.  Y.,  until  1868; 
and  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but  being  successful  in  competition 
for  a  Cornell  University  scholarship,  entered  Cornell  the  first  day  it  opened, 
graduating  in  1872,  He  then  edited  the  "Ithaca  Daily  Leader"  for  three 
months;  was  an  instructor  for  two  years  at  the  Ithaca  Academy,  and  for  the 
same  length  of  time  at  the  Albany  Academy.  After  a  course  at  the  Albany 
Law  School,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1876,  and  removed  to  New  York, 
where  he  has  since  practiced  law  as  a  member  of  firms,  first  Iselin  &  Warner, 
then  Warner  &  Frayer,  and  at  present  of  Peckham,  Warner  &  Strong.  In 
law  Mr.  Warner  has  devoted  himself  to  real  estate  and  corporation  law,  and 
especially  to  litigation  involving  trusts,  mines,  water  rights,  and  questions  of 
corporate  accounting  and  management.  His  practice  is  extensive,  and  he  is 
a  lawyer  of  high  standing.  A  Democrat  in  politics  and  possessing  pro- 
nounced opinions  on  questions  of  tariff  reform.  Mr.  Warner  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Eeform  Club,  and  was  the  author  of  much  of  the  club's 
tariff  literature.  At  various  times  he  has  been  President  of  the  Club,  and 
chairman  of  all  of  its  important  committees.  Mr.  Warner's  influence,  how- 
ever, soon  extended  far  beyond  the  walls  of  the  Eeform  Club.  He  is  a  popu- 
lar and  effective  speaker,  and  in  1888  was  elected  to  Congress,  receiving  the 
honor  of  re-election  in  1890.  On  the  floor  of  the  House,  Mr.  Warner  at  once 
became  conspicuous  as  a  debater,  and  also  in  the  less  showy  but  exacting 
labors  of  the  Committee  room.  He  has  found  time  amid  the  innumerable 
duties  of  an  extensive  law  practice  for  a  large  amount  of  literary  work. 
During  the  campaign  of  1892  he  was  Tariff  Eeform  Editor  of  the  "Weekly 
World;"  and  has  since  been  a  valued  contributor  to  the  "Die  Zeit, "  of 
Vienna,  the  London  "Law  Times, "  the  "Century, "  "Forum, '  "Harper's 
Weekly,"  and  numerous  political,  financial  and  economic  periodicals.  Mr. 
Warner  is  equally  active  and  influential  in  the  social  and  club  affairs  of  the 
City.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Club  of  New 
York,  and  of  the  Shakespeare  Club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association, 
Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  National  Sculpture  Society,  Municipal  Art 
Society,  Cornell  University  Club,  and  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art.  He 
is  also  actively  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  alma  mater,  Cornell  University, 
of  which  he  was  elected  a  Trustee  in  1882,  and  again  in  1894,  for  terms  of 


320 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


five  years.  He  married  at  Ithaca,  June  14,  1877,  Lilian  A.  Hudson,  and  has 
two  children,  a  son  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  a  daughter  thirteen  years  old. 

William  Raymond  Weeks,  of  New  York  City  and  Newark,  N.  J. ,  was  born 
August  4,  1848,  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  attended  the  public  grammar  and  high 
schools,  and  graduated  in  1865  from  the  Newark  Academy,  of  which  he  is 
now  a  Trustee.  His  first  ancestor  in  America,  George  Weeks,  who  came  from 
Devonshire,  England,  in  1637,  was  descended  from  Sir  Robert  le  Wrey  de  la 
Wyke,  a  Norman  Knight  and  descendant  of  Charlemagne,  who  was  granted 
large  estates  in  England  by  William  the  Conqueror.  On  his  mother's  side 
he  is  descended  from  Adrian  Reyerse,  founder  of  the  Adriance  family  in 
America,  son  of  Reyer  Elbertse,  of  Utrecht,  Holland,  who  came  from  Am- 
sterdam in  1646,  and  from  Sarah  Jorise  Rapalje,  the  first  white  girl  born  in 
the  New  Netherlands.  Five  of  Mr.  Weeks'  ancestors  were  soldiers  and 
patriots  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  grandfather  (Weeks)  was  a  chaplain 
to  the  American  troops  in  the  War  of  1812.  During  the  Civil  War,  Mr. 
Weeks  was  in  the  New  Jersey  Militia,  and  a  member  of  the  Union  League. 
He  studied  law  with  his  father,  was  admitted  to  practice  law  in  New  Jersey, 
November,  1870,  as  an  attorney,  and  February,  1876,  as  a  counselor,  and  in 
New  York  in  March,  1895,  and  in  West  Virginia  in  November,  1897,  and  he 
is  admitted  to  practice  in  the  United  States  Courts.  He  was  one  of  the 
counsel  for  Joseph  A.  Blair,  of  Montclair,  N.  J.,  paying  teller  of  the  Mechan- 
ics' National  Bank,  of  Wall  Street,  New  York,  who  was  tried  in  1879,  and 
acquitted  of  the  charge  of  murder  for  shooting  his  coachman,  John  Arm- 
strong. In  1883  he  organized  a  volunteer  fire  department  at  Bloomfield, 
N.  J.,  where  he  then  lived,  served  the  following  year  as  a  member  of  the 
Legislative  Committee  of  the  New  Jersey  State  Firemen's  Association,  became 
its  first  State  counsel  in  1884,  and  held  the  office  four  years,  drafting  and 
remodeling  the  State  fire  laws.  He  compiled  and  published  a  compendium  of 
these  laws,  with  a  series  of  forms.  In  1889  he  successfully  defended  the 
Association  of  Journeymen  Brownstone  Cutters  of  New  Jersey,  in  an  equity 
suit  brought  by  the  association  of  their  employers  to  compel  the  journeymen 
to  admit  to  their  union  two  "harvesters" — a  class  then  quite  prevalent  on  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  consisting  of  unskilled  workmen  from  Europe,  who  came 
to  America  each  spring,  and  returned  in  the  fall.  Mr.  Weeks  has  given 
special  attention  to  the  study  of  corporation  law  in  general  and  the  specific 
statutes  of  the  States,  and  has  promoted  and  organized  many  business,  manu- 
facturing and  mining  corporations.  He  devotes  much  of  his  leisure  time  to 
the  study  and  writing  of  history.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  American 
Bar  Association  since  1879,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar  of 
New  York,  Lawyers'  Club,  Twilight  Club,  Dunlap  Society,  American  Authors' 
Guild,  American  Numismatic  and  Archaeological  Society,  American  Historical 
Association,  New  Jersey  Historical  Society,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
Order  of  the  Founders  and  Patriots  of  America  of  which  he  is  the  Attqrney- 


ERNEST  M.  WELCIT.  FRANK  T.  WELLS. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


323 


General,  and  Revolutionary  Memorial  Society  of  New  Jersey.  He  is  Histo- 
rian of  the  Newark  Academy  Alumni  and  for  several  years  was  the  Histori- 
ographer of  the  American  Numismatic  and  Archaeological  Society.  Among  his 
historical  undertakings  may  be  mentioned  a  "Bibliography  of  New  Jersey,"  a 
"History  of  the  Colonial  Schools  and  Schoolmasters  of  New  Jersey,"  a  Mono- 
graph on  the  "Jerseys  in  America,  their  Nomenclature  and  Cartography  prior 
to  1700;"  a  "History  of  the  First  Endowment  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey" 
(Princeton  University) ;  a  paper  on  "New  Jersey's  Influence  upon  her  Sur- 
roundings," and  a  paper  on  "The  Manhattans,"  which  latter  controverts  the 
idea  of  New  York  Island  being  the  original  and  only  Manhattan.  On  August 
4,  1869,  Mr.  Weeks  married  Irene  Le  Massena,  great-granddaughter  of  Andre 
Massena,  Prince  of  Essling,  one  of  Napoleon's  marshals,  and  has  two 
daughters. 

Ernest  Morton  Welch  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  January  1,  1869. 
After  receiving  a  careful  preliminary  education  he  was  admitted  to  Tufts  Col- 
lege, Massachusetts.  Determining  to  study  law,  one  year  later  Mr.  Welch 
entered  the  law  school  of  Harvard  University,  where  he  received  his  legal 
education,  and  thereafter  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York  in  1894,  and 
immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  this  City.  In  the  crowded 
ranks  of  the  legal  profession  in  New  York,  Mr.  Welch  has  attained  well 
earned  success.  This  is  not  an  accidental  result,  but  is  due  to  his  favoring 
qualities  of  mind  and  manner,  and  to  untiring  industry  in  the  preparation  of 
his  cases.  Although  his  practice  is  a  general  civil  one,  Mr.  Welch  has  been 
notably  successful  in  damage  suits  involving  large  amounts  of  money.  He 
recovered  the  largest  verdict  ever  awarded  in  one  damage  suit  in  Queens 
County  in  January,  1897,  namely,  $15,000,  against  two  street  railway  com- 
panies in  this  City.  His  remarkable  success  in  jury  trials  is  due  to  his  able 
and  eloquent  pleas  to  the  jury.  The  earnestness  with  which  he  handles  all 
legal  matters  intrusted  to  his  care  has  caused  his  clients  to  become  his  per- 
sonal friends,  for  they  feel  that  he  guards  their  interests  as  though  they  were 
his  own.  His  rapid  elevation  in  the  crowded  ranks  of  the  legal  profession, 
which  is  due  solely  to  his  own  personal  qualities  and  efforts,  commands  the 
highest  praise  both  in  and  out  of  the  profession.  Mr.  Welch  is  interested  in 
many  social  and  club  matters  in  the  metropolis.  His  law  offices  are  at  No. 
257  Broadway,  and  he  resides  with  his  wife  and  two  children  at  No.  82  Con- 
vent Avenue,  Manhattan  Borough,  New  York  City. 

Frank  T.  Wells,  lawyer  and  proctor  in  admiralty,  at  44  Pine  Street,  was 
born  in  Greenport,  N.  Y.,  May  14,  1874,  and  although  one  of  the  youngest 
members  of  the  Bar,  has  already  proved  himself  an  active,  shrewd  and  suc- 
cessful attorney  and  counsellor.  After  attending  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town,  he  went  to  Cornell  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  LL.B.,  in  the  class  of  '95.  After  taking  a  course  in  the  Cornell 
Law  School,  he  removed  to  New  York,  and  began  to  practice  with  the  firm  of 


324- 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Boardman  &  Boardman.  He  then  became  junior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Hart 
&  Wells  for  a  year,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  alone. 
His  specialt}^  is  admiralty  law  and  Federal  practice,  in  which  he  gives  promise 
of  winning  a  decided  reputation.  In  politics  he  is  an  active  Republican,  as 
his  father  was  before  him  for  twenty  years.  He  belongs  to  a  number  of  pro- 
fessional and  social  organizations,  including  the  Cornell  Club,  and  the  Eoyal 
Arcanum.  He  was  married  December  16,  1896,  to  Fannie  M.  Jetter,  and  has 
one  daughter. 

Elmer  S.  White  was  born  at  Wurtsboro,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  April  8, 
1872.  In  the  upward  struggle  from  humble  surroundings  to  success  in  life,  it 
is  given  to  few  men  to  pass  through  such  varied  surroundings  and  occupations 
(even  through  a  long  career),  as  has  come  to  the  youthful  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Through  it  all,  however,  shines  the  ability  and  earnest  purpose 
which  ultimately  win  preferment  and  success.  Mr.  White's  early  education 
was  limited  to  the  three  E's.  Though  reared  on  the  homestead  at  Wurtsboro 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  his  active  career  may  be  said  to  have  begun  at  the 
age  of  eight,  when  he  became  for  a  time  a  newsboy  in  New  York  City.  Be- 
coming interested  in  telegraphy,  he  learned  the  Morse  alphabet  on  an  old- 
fashioned  doorlatch  on  the  homestead,  and  worked  seventeen  weeks  for  the 
owner  of  the  "Wurtsboro  Despatch' '  to  acquire  a  telegraphic  outfit.  He  then 
went  to  Newburg  as  a  telegraph  messenger  for  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Tel- 
egraph Company,  was  promoted  to  night  operator,  and  when  the  company 
failed  in  1887,  became  telegraph  messenger  of  the  Western  Union  Company. 
Mr.  White's  natural  ability  and  fondness  for  public  speaking  found  an  outlet 
during  this  period  of  his  life.  An  oratorical  contest  was  arranged  for  Orange 
County  under  the  patronage  of  William  Jennings  Demorest.  The  subject  was 
temperance.  Mr.  White  was  a  contestant,  and  won  the  silver  medal.  Later, 
at  the  contest  embracing  Orange,  Sullivan  and  Eockland  Counties,  he  was 
equally  successful,  winning  the  gold  medal.  His  ability  and  pleasing  per- 
sonal qualities  attracted  the  attention  of  Samuel  S.  Bogart,  superintendent  of 
telegraph  of  the  West  Shore  Eailroad,  and  he  gave  the  talented  young  oper- 
ator a  position  at  the  general  offices  in  New  York.  Later  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Jay  Street  (New  York)  office  as  night  operator,  where  he  remained  fif- 
teen months.  During  this  period  Mr.  White  studied  shorthand.  He  re- 
signed from  the  service  of  the  West  Shore  Company  in  the  early  summer  of 
1889,  and  entered  the  employment  of  the  Bridgeport  Wood  Finishing  Com- 
pany, and  Housatonic  Eailroad  Company,  at  Still  Eiver,  Conn.  In  this  posi- 
tion Mr.  White  was  called  upon  to  perform  innumerable  duties,  from  express 
and  baggage  agent  to  President's  secretary,  but  after  nine  months'  service, 
he  resigned  for  reasons  very  creditable  to  his  sense  of  honor.  In  quick  suc- 
cession he  was  the  night  operator  at  Fairport  and  at  Canajoharie;  Private 
Secretary  to  General  Superintendent  Bradley,  of  the  West  Shore  Eailroad ; 
Secretary  to  Wm.  G.  Wattson,  Superintendent  of  the  Hudson  Eiver  Division ; 


ELMER  S.  WHITE. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


327 


Chief  Clerk,  Hudson  Eiver  Division,  and  Private  Secretary  to  General  Pas- 
senger Agent  Lambert,  of  the  West  Shore  Mr.  White  had  now  become  dis- 
satisfied with  the  uncertainties  of  railroad  politics,  and  determined  to  follow 
his  inclinations  and  study  law.  Accordingly  he  secured  a  position  with  Snow, 
Church  &  Co.,  as  telegraph  operator  and  stenographer,  and  fitted  himself  for 
a  Kegents'  Examination.  To  this  apparently  overwhelming  obstacle  Mr. 
White  brought  his  indomitable  energy  and  ready  mind.  He  had  received 
only  the  most  rudimentary  education,  but  by  constant  application  he  prepared 
himself  in  the  short  space  of  four  months  in  geometry,  Latin,  and  the  other 
requirements,  for  a  successful  examination,  and  secured  his  certificate.  In 
1892  he  entered  the  class  of  '95,  of  the  Metropolis  Law  School,  and  served 
also  in  the  law  ofiices  of  Guggenheimer,  Untermeyer  &  Marshall.  In  a 
class  of  100  men,  most  of  them  enjoying  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  and 
extended  education,  Mr.  White's  ability  quickly  placed  him  at  the  head,  a 
position  he  maintained  to  the  end  of  the  course.  In  the  examination  of  about 
100  applicants  for  admission  to  the  Bar  held  in  Brooklyn  in  June,  1895, 
(where  every  leading  college  in  the  country  was  largely  represented),  Mr. 
White  again  led.  After  several  months  of  valuable  research  in  connection 
with  the  investigation  of  the  Dock  Department,  Mr.  White  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  a  valued  friend,  Henry  J.  Furlong,  under  the  name  of  Furlong  & 
White.  The  practice  of  these  able  and  energetic  lawyers  increased  with  great 
rapidity,  and  later,  John  J.  O'Connell,  a  classmate  of  the  Messrs.  White  and 
Furlong,  was  added  to  the  firm.  Few  law  firms  attain  prosperity  so  quickly 
as  that  of  Furlong,  White  &  O'Connell,  but  its  success  has  been  built  upon 
the  old  foundation  of  energy  and  ability.  Mr.  White  has  made  no  attempt  to 
specialize,  but  has  consistently  endeavored  to  become  a  good  all-around  law- 
yer. The  personal  preference,  however,  of  a  strong  character  and  great 
activity  of  mind,  lead  Mr.  White  by  choice  toward  litigation,  exposing  and 
thwarting  fraudulent  transfers  of  property.  He  has  also  a  bent  for  litigations 
involving  the  law  of  municipal  corporations,  and  has  just  come  off  victorious 
in  a  bitterly  contested  battle  with  the  City  of  New  York,  a  case  attentively  fol- 
lowed by  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  the  State,  and  which  has  vastly  broadened  the 
responsibility  of  municipalities  for  the  willful  wrongs  of  their  agents. 

William  R.  Willcox,  son  of  Thomas  L.  Willcox,  and  Catherine  B.  Stover, 
was  born  in  Smyrna,  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1861.  His  ancestry  is 
English  and  Dutch,  the  progenitors  in  the  paternal  line  having  settled 
originally  in  Ehode  Island  in  the  early  history  of  Providence  Plantations. 
The  New  York  branch  moved  to  this  State  toward  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
since  which  time  the  family  has  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  civil  affairs. 
Mr.  Willcox  was  educated  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Brockport,  N.  Y. , 
the  University  of  Rochester,  and  Columbia  Law  School,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  the  class  of  1889.  He  then  took  up  the  profession  of  pedagogy  for 
seven  years,  successfully  filling,  among  other  positions,  the  principalships  of 


328 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


the  Webster,  N.  Y. ,  Academy  and  the  Spring  Valley,  N.  Y. ,  High  School. 
With  a  strong  predilection  for  the  law,  however,  he  tiirned  his  attention  in 
that  direction,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  after  having  familiarized  himself 
with  the  necessary  preliminary  details  in  the  office  of  Bristow,  Peet  &  Op- 
dyke,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Briatow,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  under  President  Grant.  Favored,  not  only  by  his  innate  mental 
qualities,  force  of  character  and  indomitable  pluck,  but  also  by  education  and 
training,  Mr.  Willcox  began,  in  1890,  a  professional  career,  which  has  proved 
one  of  marked  success.  His  practice  is  confined  chiefly  to  corporation  busi- 
ness and  the  settlement  of  estates,  of  which  latter  he  has  several  large  and 
responsible  charges.  Among  his  corporation  engagements  he  is  associate 
counsel  for  the  Chapin  Home  for  the  Aged  and  Infirm  of  New  York  City,  con- 
ducted under  the  auspices  of  the  Church  of  the  Divine  Paternity,  and  is 
counsel  for  the  Queens  County  (New  York)  Bank.  He  belongs  to  several 
social  and  professional  organizations,  including  the  Union  League  Club,  the 
Eepublican  Club,  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Club,  and  the  Bar  Association,  and 
several  literary  clubs,  in  which  his  scholarly  tastes  find  gratification. 

Nelson  Zabriskie,  son  of  David  W.  Zabriskie,  was  born  in  Kidgewood, 
N.  J.,  January  4,  1856.  His  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Kidgewood 
was  supplemented  by  a  law  course  in  the  University  of  New  York,  from 
which  he  received  his  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1875.  Two  years  later  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar,  and  soon  won  prominence  in  his  profession  by  his  partic- 
ular success  in  admiralty  and  marine  litigation.  In  1883  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  J.  A.  Hyland,  under  the  style  of  Hyland  &  Zabriskie,  which 
firm  conducts  a  general  civil  practice,  with  marine  and  admiralty  cases  a 
specialty.  One  of  their  notable  legal  triumphs  was  won  as  counsel  for  the 
People  in  a  suit  brought  by  Edward  Annan  and  F.  E.  Pinto  for  the  purpose 
of  testing  the  constitutionality  of  the  law  regulating  the  price  of  elevating  and 
discharging  grain.  The  favorable  verdict  secured  by  the  firm  was  subse- 
quently confirmed  by  the  Federal  courts.  This  and  other  marked  successes 
have  secured  the  practice  of  many  important  transportation  companies,  includ- 
ing the  Citizens'  Steamboat  Co.,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Union  Ferry  Co.,  of 
New  York.  Mr.  Zabriskie  has  been  wedded  to  his  profession,  and  concen- 
trated his  attention  upon  it  almost  to  the  exclusion  of  political  and  club  life. 
He  is  a  prominent  member,  however,  of  the  Free  Masons,  and  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York  Alumni  Association. 

The  legal,  like  many  other  professions,  is  divided  into  departments,  each 
separate  field  having  its  leaders.  One  of  the  most  important  of  these  is  the 
department  of  patent  law,  at  the  head  of  which  are  such  eminent  men  as 
Charles  E.  Mitchell,  Edmund  Wetmore,  Frederic  H.  Betts  and  Charles  L. 
Buckingham,  the  last  mentioned  standing  especially  high  in  patent  causes 
relating  to  electrical  matters.  Mr.  Buckingham  was  born  in  Berlin  Heights, 
Ohio,  in  1852,  and  educated  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  early 


EDWARD  A.  SUMNER.  WALDEGRAVE  HAKLOCK. 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


331 


displayed  a  remarkable  genius  for  engineering.  He  subsequently  received 
the  Bachelor  of  Laws  degree  from  the  Columbian  Law  School  of  Washington, 
and  since  his  admission  to  the  Bar  has  devoted  his  attention  chiefly  to  patent 
law,  making  a  specialty  of  electrical  causes.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1882 
as  counsel  in  patent  matters  for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  and 
for  many  years  has  appeared  in  all  the  patent  litigations  of  that  corporation 
as  well  as  those  of  most  of  the  various  big  electrical  concerns  of  the  City. 
The  ability  with  which  he  has  represented  his  clients  has  won  him  high  recog- 
nition and  secured  him  a  standing  among  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  metrop- 
olis. He  has  been  too  assiduously  devoted  to  his  professional  duties  to  admit 
of  any  active  participation  in  politics,  and  his  personal  preference  is  for  a 
quiet  domestic  life.  He  is,  however,  well  known  in  club  life,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  and  Metropolitan  Clubs  of  Washington,  the  Electric  and 
University  Clubs  and  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  City.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  the  American  Academy 
of  Political  and  Social  Science,  and  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical 
Engineers. 

Oliver  Prince  Buel,  who  is  recognized  as  a  leading  New  York  lawyer,  and 
well  known  throughout  business,  political  and  club  circles,  was  born  in  Troy, 
this  State,  on  January  22,  1838.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  David  Buel,  Jr., 
who  was  an  able  and  prominent  practitioner  in  the  northern  section  of  New 
York  State,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1821 ; 
and  of  Harriet  Hillhouse,  who  was  a  member  of  the  well-known  family  of 
that  name  in  Connecticut.  Both  the  Buel  and  Hillhouse  ancestors  were  prom- 
inent in  the  Colonial  and  Kevolutionary  history  of  that  State.  The  son  was 
graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1859,  and  began  the  study  of  law  with 
his  father,  after  whose  death  he  perfected  his  legal  course  with  the  late  ex- 
Judge  John  K.  Porter.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  Troy,  and  several 
years  later  came  to  the  metropolis.  While  regarded  as  a  thorough  all-around 
practitioner,  he  has  especially  distinguished  himself  in  those  branches  of 
jurisprudence  designated  as  insurance  and  corporation  law ;  and,  as  general 
counsel  for  the  United  States  Life  Insurance  Company,  he  has  won  many 
ably-contested  suits  in  the  higher  courts.  He  first  won  prominent  recogni- 
tion as  counsel  for  the  Tobacco  Manufacturers'  Association,  upon  which  an 
attack  had  been  made  by  a  political  ring,  backed  by  "Boss"  Tweed,  and 
before  a  judge  who  was  subsequently  driven  from  the  Bench.  Mr.  Buel  suc- 
ceeded in  rescuing  the  Association  from  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  While 
eschewing  political  honors,  he  has  always  been  an  ardent  Democrat,  favoring 
tariff  reform  with  a  free  trade  tendency.  During  his  residence  in  Yonkers, 
he  was  President  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  that  place  from  1881  to  1885,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Yonkers  Board  of  Education.  He  has  done  much  to 
educate  the  piiblic  on  the  subject  of  "free  trade,"  and  in  the  early  history  of 
the  Democratic  Club  of  New  York  City  he  debated  this  and  other  subjects 


332 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


with  excellent  effect.  He  is  also  a  bighly  esteemed  member  of  the  Eeform, 
Catholic  and  Salmagundi  Clubs.  Mr.  Buel  has  always  been  interested  and 
frefjuently  actively  identified  with  measures  beneficial  to  his  profession.  He 
was  Chairman  of  the  Bar  Association  Committee  which  favorably  reported  a 
proposition  submitted  by  him  to  consolidate  the  courts  of  New  York,  and 
made  the  argument  on  behalf  of  the  Association  before  the  Judiciary  Com- 
mittee of  the  Senate  in  favor  of  consolidation.  The  Senate  approved  an 
amendment  of  the  Committee  to  this  end,  but  adverse  influence  in  the  Assem- 
bly succeeded  in  shelving  the  measure.  Mr.  Buel  was  later  highly  gratified 
to  see  his  measure  adopted  by  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1894,  which 
abolished  the  Common  Pleas  Court  and  created  the  new  Appellate  Court.  As 
a  member  of  the  Excise  Reform  Committee  he  also  appeared  before  Governor 
Hill  in  favor  of  high  license.  Mr.  Buel's  taste  for  literature  has  led  him  into 
several  intelligent  discussions  in  periodicals,  among  which  his  satire  on 
"The  Abraham  Lincoln  Myth"  (occasioned  by  Huxley's  attack  on  Chris- 
tianity), appeared  in  the  CafhoUc  World,  and  created  such  favorable  com- 
ment that  it  has  been  published  in  book  form.  In  1871  Mr.  Buel  married 
Josephine,  daughter  of  the  late  General  Charles  McDougal,  one  of  the  emi- 
nent surgeons  of  the  United  States  Army. 

Waldegrave  Harlock  was  born  in  England,  April  12,  1845,  and  received  a 
college  education  in  his  native  land.  Prior  to  coming  to  the  United  States  in 
1867  he  was  a  Deputy  Registrar  in  England,  and  became  thoroughly  familar 
with  the  practice  and  proceedings  under  the  bankruptcy  laws  of  that  country. 
In  November,  1867,  he  became  managing  clerk  for  one  of  the  Registers  in 
Bankruptcy  in  New  York  City,  and,  having  sufiiciently  familiarized  himself 
with  the  legal  procedure  of  his  adopted  country,  successfully  passed  an  exam- 
ination before  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  State,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  as  an  attorney  and  counsellor-at-law.  Subsequently  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  several  District  and  Circuit  Courts  of  the  United  States,  and  be- 
came an  Attorney  and  Counselor  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
Under  the  old  bankruptcy  law  of  1867,  Mr.  Harlock  had  an  extensive  prac- 
tice, and  during  the  continuance  of  that  system  was  engaged  in  several  of  the 
largest  suits  before  the  courts — suits  involving  millions  of  dollars.  He  is 
prominently  known  among  the  lawyers  and  merchants  of  New  York  City  and 
elsewhere  as  a  specialist  in  this  branch  of  the  profession,  and  is  considered 
by  many  an  authority  in  bankrui)tcy  practice.  No  member  of  the  New  York 
Bar,  i^erhaps,  is  better  qualified  than  he,  by  both  ability  and  experience,  to 
manage  successfully  cases  arising  under  the  new  bankruptcy  law.  His  pro- 
fessional work,  not  only  in  his  specialty,  but  in  his  general  practice  also,  has 
been  characterized  by  unremitting  application,  close  attention  to  details  and 
indomitable  persistence,  which  have  won  for  him  a  high  reputation  and  a 
generous  measure  of  professional  success. 

Charles  E.  Le  Barbier,  now  an  Assistant  District  Attorney,  born  in  New 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


333 


York  City  January  16,  1859,  is  of  Freuch-American  descent.  His  early  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  land  of  his  forefathers,  and  later  in  the  schools  of 
New  York  City.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Coudert  Brothers,  and  in  1881  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  During 
the  first  six  or  seven  years  of  practice,  he  met  with  moderate  success,  but  in 
1889  he  won  distinction  by  his  brilliant  and  successful  defence  of  John 
Aguglio,  whose  acquittal  on  charge  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  he  secured. 
The  defendant,  an  Italian  bootblack,  surprised  his  counsel  by  the  size  of  his 
fee,  showing  him  savings  in  pennies  and  nickels  amounting  to  over  $1,000, 
and  a  $1, 000  certificate  of  deposit,  w4th  which  he  fully  compensated  Mr.  Le 
Barbier.  In  February,  1892,  Mr.  Le  Barbier  scored  another  notable  success 
in  saving  Thomas  Mallissey  from  the  electric  chair.  In  quick  succession  he 
won  victories  in  the  murder  cases  of  Andrea  Macci,  Michael  Costello,  and  in 
the  famous  case  of  Charles  Olston,  tried  last  year.  His  accomplishments  as 
a  linguist  have  given  him  a  large  French  and  Italian  clientele,  in  addition  to 
his  extensive  American  patronage.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State  and  City 
Bar  Associations,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  both  the  Bench  and 
Bar.    His  brother,  Dr.  Henry  LeBarbier,  is  a  prominent  New  York  physician. 

Walter  Seth  Logan,  son  of  Seth  S.  Logan  and  Serene  Hollister,  was  born  in 
"Washington,  Conn.,  April  15,  1847,  and  descends,  through  a  line  of  patriotic 
Revolutionary  and  Colonial  ancestors,  from  the  Logans  who  were  conspicuous 
in  political  affairs  in  Scotland  in  Queen  Mary's  time,  and  the  Hollisters  and 
McAllisters  of  the  famous  Clan  McAllister.  The  pioneers  in  the  paternal  and 
maternal  lines  came  to  Massachusetts  about  ten  years  after  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims,  and  moved  thence  to  Connecticut,  where  they  were  among  the 
founders  of  the  ancient  town  of  Wethersfield.  Mr.  Logan's  father  was  a 
member  of  either  one  or  the  other  branch  of  the  Connecticut  State  Legislature 
or  a  State  officer,  almost  continuously  for  forty  years.  Walter  S.  Logan 
received  an  enviable  mental  endowment,  but  began  life  so  circumstanced  in  a 
worldly  way  that  he  had  to  win  advancement  by  his  almost  unaided  efforts. 
After  studying  at  the  Gunnery  School  in  his  native  town,  the  Fort  Edward 
Institute  and  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institution  at  Suffield,  he  entered  and 
was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  the  class  of  1870,  and  subsequently  pur- 
sued his  legal  studies  at  Harvard  and  Columbia  Law  Schools.  He  thus 
enjoys  the  rare  distinction  of  having  degrees  from  these  three  great  univer- 
sities. Mr.  Logan's  first  practical  professional  work  was  in  the  law  office  of 
James  C.  Carter  of  New  York,  when  that  distinguished  lawyer  was  engaged 
with  Charles  O'Conor  on  the  famous  Jumel  case.  In  1872  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  of  New  York,  and  since  then  has  continuously  practiced  his  calling 
with  increasing  reputation.  Few  members  of  the  profession  not  on  the  Bench 
possess  the  judicial  faculty  to  the  extent  that  he  has  it,  and  his  remarkable 
success  has  been  due  largely  to  the  association  of  this  cast  of  mind  with  his 
extensive  knowledge  of  the  law.    Both  at  the  Bar  and  upon  the  rostrum,  Mr. 


334 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World, 


Logan  is  a  fluent  and  eloquent  speaker,  and  is  especially  persuasive  when 
wielding  his  trenchant  English  in  behalf  of  Anglo-Saxon  institutions.  Much  of 
his  recreation  is  found  in  literary  work  and  the  pursuit  of  social,  economic  and 
historical  subjects.  He  belongs  to  the  leading  professional,  social,  patriotic, 
hereditary,  scientific  and  art  societies  of  the  City,  in  many  of  which  he  has 
held  or  holds  official  position,  and  in  all  of  which  he  has  a  host  of  friends  and 
admirers.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations,  but  has  never  been 
a  seeker  for  public  office. 

John  Edward  Parsons,  a  notable  figure  in  the  present  generation  of  lawyers, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  October  24,  1829.  His  father  was  Edward  Lamb 
Parsons  of  England,  and  his  mother  was  Matilda  Clark  of  Wallingford,  Conn. 
When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  was  graduated  from  the  New  York  University, 
and  in  the  Fall  of  1849  entered  James  W.  Gerard's  law  office.  Three  years 
later  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  in  1854  formed  a  partnership  with 
Lorenzo  B.  Shepard.  When,  a  few  months  later,  Mr.  Shepard  became  Dis- 
trict Attorney  of  New  York,  Mr.  Parsons  became  his  assistant,  and  so  re- 
mained until  the  end  of  the  year.  In  1857  Mr.  Shepard  having  died,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Albon  P.  Man,  which  continued  until  1884.  Dur- 
ing the  next  six  years  he  remained  unassociated,  but  in  1890  formed  the  part- 
nership of  Parsons,  Shepard  &  Ogden.  From  almost  the  beginning  of  his 
legal  career,  Mr.  Parsons  has  had  to  do  with  important  cases,  which  have 
included  the  famous  suit  of  Story  vs.  the  Elevated  Eailroad  companies,  the 
Fayerweather  will  case,  the  Jake  Sharp  case,  the  proceedings  looking  to  the 
vacation  of  William  M.  Tweed's  seat  in  the  New  York  Senate,  the  impeach- 
ment and  trial  of  Judge  Barnard,  the  trial  of  Judge  McCunn,  the  proceedings 
against  Judge  Cardozo,  the  trial  of  Henry  W.  Genet,  etc.  He  was  counsel 
for  the  Sugar  Trust,  and  participated  in  the  litigations  and  legislative  pro- 
ceedings in  which  it  became  involved,  and  has  been  counsel  for  its  successor, 
the  American  Sugar  Kefining  Co.  since  its  organization.  Mr.  Parsons  devotes 
a  large  share  of  his  time  and  resources  to  benevolent  work,  and  sustains  offi- 
cial relations  with  the  New  York  Cancer  Hospital,  the  Woman's  Hospital,  the 
New  York  City  Missions  and  Tract  Society,  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home 
Missions,  the  American  Tract,  New  York  Bible  and  American  Bible  Societies, 
the  Cooper  Union,  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York,  the  Episco- 
pal Church  of  Lenox,  and  other  similar  organizations.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Metropolitan,  Century,  University,  Players,  Biding,  City  and  Turf  clubs, 
but  devotes  comparatively  little  time  to  club  life. 

Elihu  Root,  descended  from  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  stock  of  New 
England,  was  born  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  February  15,  1845.  His  father,  Oren 
Root,  was  for  thirty-six  years  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  Hamilton  College, 
from  which  institution  the  son  was  graduated  in  1864.  After  studying  law 
at  Hamilton  College  and  the  University  Law  School,  he  began  practice  in 
New  York  in  1867,  and  his  remarkable  success  in  difficult  and  important 


The  Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York. 


335 


cases  soon  advanced  him  to  a  leading  position  at  the  Bar,  Among  the  famous 
cases  in  which  he  has  appeared  have  been  the  Stewart  will  case,  in  which  he 
was  the  leading  counsel  for  Judge  Hilton;  the  Hoy t  will  case;  the  Fayer- 
weather  contest ;  the  Broadway  surface  railroad  litigation ;  the  Sugar  Trust 
contest;  and  the  suit  of  Shipman  and  others  against  the  Bank  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  growing  out  of  the  Bedell  forgeries.  In  the  suit  of  O'Brien  vs. 
the  Mayor  of  the  City  of  New  York  (the  aqueduct  litigation),  as  counsel  for 
the  City,  he  won  a  notable  victory  over  his  distinguished  opponent,  Joseph 
H.  Choate,  and  saved  the  city  several  millions  of  dollars.  He  was  counsel  for 
the  late  Charles  A.  Dana  in  the  libel  suit  instituted  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia against  the  New  York  Sun,  and  successfully  opposed  Mr.  Dana's  removal 
to  the  District  for  trial.  He  also  successfully  defended  Robert  Bay  Hamil- 
ton against  the  sensational  operations  of  Eva  Mann.  His  eminent  profes- 
sional attainments  have  been  recognized  in  many  ways.  In  1879  he  received  a 
large  vote  for  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  From  1883  to  1885  he 
was  United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York, 
and  as  such  tried  and  convicted  James  D.  Fish,  President  of  the  Marine 
Bank,  for  illegal  acts  in  connection  with  the  Grant  and  Ward  frauds.  In  the 
New  York  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1894  he  was  a  prominent  figure, 
and,  as  Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  and  Eei)ublican  leader  on  the 
floor,  contributed  materially  to  the  successful  deliberations  of  that  body.  In 
politics  Mr.  Boot  has  been  a  leader  of  the  reform  element  of  the  Bepublican 
party.  For  many  years  he  represented  the  Twenty -first  Assembly  District  on 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  New  York  Bepublican  County  Committee,  and 
in  1886  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee.  He  was  one  of  the  most  active  spirits 
in  antagonizing  the  party  machine  in  1893-94.  He  is  a  gifted  public  speaker, 
carrying  to  the  rostrum  the  same  intellectual  qualities  that  distinguish  his 
professional  work,  and  addresses  himself  less  to  the  emotions  of  his  hearers 
than  to  their  understanding.  He  has  been  a  fearless  antagonist  of  official 
corruption,  and  in  many  of  his  public  utterances  has  proclaimed  the  way  for 
reforms  that  soon  ensued.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  England  Society,  and 
of  the  Union  League,  Bepublican,  Century,  Metropolitan,  University  and 
Players'  Clubs,  of  the  first  three  of  which  organizations  he  has  been  President. 

Edward  A.  Sumner  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  younger  Bar  of  New  York 
City,  having  been  admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  before  Justice 
Noah  Davis,  May  18,  1885,  and  being  now  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Sumner,  Eobinson  &  Eobinson,  whose  offices  are  in  the  new  Washington  Life 
Building,  No.  141  Broadway.  He  was  born  at  Borne,  New  York,  November 
3,  1856,  and  comes  of  old  New  England  stock;  his  mother's  family  having 
been  among  the  first  to  settle  from  that  section  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and 
his  father's  family  coming  in  1635  into  Connecticut  with  the  original  settlers 
who  founded  that  Commonwealth.  His  early  days  were  spent  in  the  West, 
where  his  father  was  a  successful  banker  for  many  years  during  the  pioneer 


336 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


history  of  that  section.  He  prepared  for  college  in  Connecticut,  and  grad- 
uated with  special  honors  from  Wesleyan  University  in  1878,  and  now  has 
the  degrees  of  A.B,  and  M.A.  from  that  institution.  Mr.  Sumner  was  for 
five  years  after  graduation  Principal  of  one  of  the  best  University  Preparatory 
Schools  in  Connecticut,  when  he  took  his  examinations  for  the  Bar,  and  has 
continued  since  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  for  a  time  in  the 
West,  and  subsequently  in  New  York  City.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of 
commercial  and  corporation  law,  and  is  one  of  the  ablest  trial  lawyers  and 
adovcatos  at  the  New  York  Bar.  The  best  instance  of  his  power  with  a  jury 
was  his  winning  in  the  case  of  the  National  Oil  Company  vs.  The  Saint  Paul 
Gas  Light  Company  in  United  States  Circuit  Court  a  few  years  ago  of  a  ver- 
dict of  $55,000  damages  for  breach  of  contract  involving  5,000,000  gallons  of 
crude  oil  from  the  American  fields,  the  largest  verdict  ever  rendered  in  a  case 
of  that  class.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
March  5,  1889,  appearing  as  one  of  the  Counsel  in  the  John  Blair  railway 
cases,  and  his  practice  takes  him  into  all  the  State  and  Federal  Courts.  Mr. 
Sumner  is  a  Kepublican  in  politics,  and  has  long  been  one  of  the  eloquent 
speakers  called  upon  by  the  State  and  National  Committees  of  his  party ;  he 
is  attorney  for  the  Canal  Fund  department  of  the  State  Comptroller  in  New 
York  City.  He  is  exceedingly  fond  of  outdoor  athletics,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  active  members  of  the  Marine  and  Field  Club.  In  college  he  was  a 
Greek  letter  fraternity  man,  belonging  to  Psi  Upsilon.  He  is  a  member  of 
several  prominent  clubs  and  societies,  among  them  the  West  Side  Eepublican 
Club,  the  Empire  State  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Kevolution,  and 
the  New  England  Society. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  MERCANTILE  ACCOUNTING  AS  A  DEGREED 
PROFESSION  IN  NEW  YORK. 

MEECANTILE  accounting,  in  some  form,  is  as  old  as  civilization  itself, 
lu  the  earliest  stages  of  barter,  where  commodities  were  exchanged 
for  commodities  in  the  personal  presence  of  the  owners,  there  was 
little  occasion  for  keeping  any  evidence  or  record  of  the  transaction,  and  the 
simplest  devices,  such  as  notched  sticks  or  knotted  cords,  sufficed.  The 
owner  did  not  part  with  his  goods  until  he  had  received  an  equivalent  in  other 
goods  that  he  desired,  and  when  the  bargainers  had  effected  an  exchange  to 
their  mutual  satisfaction  there  was  an  end  of  the  matter.  With  the  invention 
of  written  langage,  the  advancement  of  civilization  and  the  development  of 
commercial  adventure  by  land  and  sea,  "bookkeeping"  upon  tablets,  papyrus 
and  other  substances  came  into  being  as  a  concurrent  necessity.  As  soon  as 
mercantile  enterprise  reached  the  point  where  two  or  more  persons  combined 
in  the  same  undertaking,  or  where  the  owner  intrusted  the  disposition  of  his 
merchandise  to  other  hands,  then  the  need  of  accounting  arose.  A  careful 
reading  of  the  Scriptures  indicates  very  i^lainly  that  the  commendation  "Well 
done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant, ' '  was  based  on  a  system  of  accounting 
by  which  the  owner  of  the  talents  was  able  to  determine  which  of  his  servants 
had  been  profitable  and  which  unprofitable.  The  method  of  accountancy  em- 
ployed in  the  case  cited  by  St.  Matthew  is  not  described,  unfortunately,  and 
his  reason  for  declaring  it  to  be  suggestive  of  "the  kingdom  of  Heaven"  is 
entirely  a  matter  of  conjecture.  It  can  safely  be  said,  however,  that  the 
similiarity  does  not  exist  in  the  elaborate,  complicated  and  laborioiis  systems 
employed  by  many  great  business  concerns  to-day.  Within  the  past  half 
century  commercial  enterprise  has  taken  on  many  new  phases,  due  partly  to 
the  invention  of  steam  locomotion  and  telegraphic  communication,  partly  to 
the  development  of  our  vast  national  resources,  and  partly  to  the  new  methods 
of  transacting  business  devised  by  wide-awake  American  genius.  The  spirit 
of  the  age  tends  distinctly  away  from  the  small  merchant  and  individual 
proprietor  toward  co-oj)eration,  consolidation  and  combination  of  affairs,  and 
never  has  commercial  enterprise  moved  on  such  a  vast  scale  and  involved  such 
a  complexity  of  interests  as  to-day.  In  1890  the  wealth  of  the  United  States 
was  reckoned  at  $65,000,000,000,  and  was  still  growing.  This  vast  aggre- 
gate of  investable  wealth  is  largely  held  by  great  railroad,  banking,  insur- 
ance, manufacturing  and  mining  corporations,  whose  operations  are  a  maze  of 
intricacies  for  which  they  are  accountable  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  inves- 


338 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


tors.  To  meet  the  demands  for  the  accurate  accounting  of  these  gigantic 
stewardships,  the  old  and  elementary  systems  of  bookkeeping  are  inadequate. 
New  and  more  elaborate  business  methods  have  called  into  requisition  a  much 
liigher  order  of  ability  than  was  necessary  for  the  "bookkeeper"  of  a  genera- 
tion ago,  and  resulted  in  the  development  of  modern  accountancy  into  a 
science  which  takes  the  rank  of  a  profession. 

Great  Britain  was  first  to  move  in  the  direction  of  creating  a  recognized 
body  of  expert  public  accountants  and  for  many  years  has  had  her  Institute 
of  Chartered  Accountants.  This  supplied  the  model  after  which  the  Ameri- 
can Association  of  Public  Accountants  was  originally  patterned.  The  Amer- 
ican Association  was  incorporated  August  20,  1887,  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  Under  its  certificate  of  incorporation  "The  particular 
business  and  object  of  such  society  were  to  associate  into  a  Society  or  Guild, 
for  their  mutual  benefit  and  advantage,  the  best  and  most  capable  public  ac- 
countants practicing  in  the  United  States ;  and  through  such  association  to 
elevate  the  profession  of  public  accountants  as  a  whole,  and  to  promote  the 
eflSciency  and  usefulness  of  members  of  such  society  by  compelling  the  observ- 
ance of  strict  rules  of  conduct  as  a  condition  of  membership,  and  by  estab- 
lishing a  high  standard  of  professional  attainments  through  general  educa- 
tion and  knowledge  and  otherwise,  and  to  transact  such  business  as  might  be 
necessary  and  incident  to  the  establishment  and  conduct  of  an  associa- 
tion for  the  foregoing  purposes."  The  original  incorporators  of  the 
Association  were,  James  T.  Anyon,  Thos.  Bagot,  Louis  M.  Bergtheil, 
James  Cox,  William  Calhoun,  Geo.  H.  Church,  C.  W.  Haskins,  E.  F. 
Munro,  W.  C.  Mirick,  C.  H.  W.  Sibley,  Henry  W.  Tate,  William  H.  Veysey, 
Walter  H.  P.  Veysey,  and  J.  Yalden,  of  New  York ;  Horace  D.  Brad- 
bury, K.  McLaughlin  and  Henry  A.  Piper,  of  Boston ;  Kichard  F.  Stevens, 
of  Jersey  City ;  John  W.  Francis,  John  Heins  and  Henry  Kelly,  of  Phila- 
delphia. Under  the  original  By-laws  the  objects  of  the  association  were 
defined  as  "The  elevation  of  the  profession  of  a  public  accountant  and  the 
establishment  in  one  body  of  the  public  accountants  practicing  in  the 
United  States,  and  those  who  may  hereafter  enter  into  the  business  or 
practice  of  public  accountants, ' '  and  the  members  of  the  association  were  to 
consist  of  the  incorporators  and  of  such  other  accountants  as  co-operated  with 
them  in  organizing  the  association.  The  membership  was  limited  to  persons 
who  had  practiced  as  public  accountants  continuously  for  three  years  previous 
to  their  admission  to  membership  in  the  association,  and  was  divided  into 
two  classes,  styled  respectively,  "Fellows"  and  "Associates;"  the  Fellows 
to  have  the  right  to  use  the  letters  "F.A.A.,"  and  the  Associates  to  have  the 
right  to  use  the  letters  "A. A. A.,"  to  designate  their  degrees  of  membership. 
The  fees,  which  were  payable  on  admission,  were  $100  by  a  Fellow,  and  $25 
by  an  Associate.  The  annual  certificate  fees  were  $25  for  each  Fellow,  and 
$10  for  each  Associate.    The  original  conception  of  the  incorporators  of  the 


Public  Accountancy  in  the  United  States. 


339 


Association  was  to  conduct  it  on  the  lines  of  the  Institute  of  Chartered  Ac- 
countants in  England  and  Wales.  "While  it  was  pre-eminently  desirable  to 
set  before  itself  such  a  high  standard  of  excellence,  it  was  found  that  ac- 
countancy as  a  profession  in  the  United  States  was  in  its  infancy,  and  various 
modifications  for  the  conduct  of  the  association  became  necessar}'. 

One  great  obstacle  to  the  maintenance  of  an  examining  board  and  the  con- 
ferring of  degrees  by  the  Society  itself  was  the  New  York  State  law  which 
forbade  any  corporation  to  carry  on  a  college  which  conferred  degrees  without 
the  approval  of  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  On 
March  5,  1892,  the  Association  petitioned  to  the  Board  of  Eegents,  and  in 
the  following  December  received  a  provisional  charter  for  the  establishment  of 
the  New  York  School  of  Accountants.  On  January  17,  1893,  this  institution 
was  organized  with  James  Yalden,  President;  John  L.  N.  Hunt,  LL.D., 
Dean ;  Thomas  Bagot,  Secretary ;  Eichard  M.  Chapman,  Treasurer ;  and  a 
Board  of  Trustees.  The  school  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1893,  and  was 
maintained  until  June,  1894,  but  the  enterprise  proved  impracticable  and  was 
abandoned. 

Admission  to  the  American  Association  of  Public  Accountants  is  obtained 
by  application  in  writing,  which  must  be  approved  by  a  majority  of  a  Com- 
mittee on  Elections,  Qualifications  and  Examinations.  It  is  the  duty  of  this 
committee  to  inquire  into  the  standing  and  character  of  each  person  proposed 
for  membership  and  report  on  the  same  at  the  next  meeting  of  a  Board  of 
Trustees,  which  body  superseded  the  Council — and  this  Board,  in  their 
absolute  discretion,  may  refuse  to  admit  or  elect  any  person  to  either  degree 
of  membership.  The  Board  of  Trustees  have  power  to  prescribe  forms  of 
examination  for  candidates  who  apply  for  membership.  Honorary  member- 
ship may  be  conferred  on  any  person  who  by  his  standing  and  celebrity  in 
the  community  at  large  may  be  considered  as  entitled  to  such  an  honor.  The 
fees  for  membership  are  now  as  follows :  Initiation  fee  of  Fellow,  $25,  of 
Associate,  $10;  annual  certificate  fee  for  Fellow,  $15,  and  for  Associate,  $10. 
Meetings  of  the  members  of  the  Association  are  held  in  January,  April,  and 
October  in  each  year,  when  instructive  papers  are  read  for  the  benefit  of  the 
members.  The  Board  of  Trustees  hold  meetings  monthly  throughout  the 
year.  The  membership  of  the  Association  at  date  is  about  100,  and  includes 
in  the  list  of  honorary  members  John  L.  V.  Hunt,  LL.D.  ;  the  Hon.  James 
A.  Eoberts,  State  Comptroller,  New  York,  and  Frank  B.  Thurber,  Esq.  The 
officers  now  consist  of  W.  Sanders  Davies,  President;  David  Eollo,  Vice- 
President  ;  T.  Cullen  Eoberts,  Secretary ;  Leonard  H.  Conant,  Treasurer ; 
Capel  Ellis  Le  Jeune  and  Brownell  McGibbon,  Auditors ;  Board  of  Tntstees, 
Frank  Broaker,  E.  M.  Chapman,  Andrew  A.  Clarke,  Fred.  C.  Manvel,  David 
Eollo,  Leonard  H.  Conant,  Ferdinand  W.  Lafrentz,  W.  Sanders  Davies,  T. 
Cullen  Eoberts,  Eichard  F.  Stevens  and  James  Yalden.  The  offices  of  the 
Association  are  at  56  and  58  Pine  Street,  New  York  City. 


340 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


During  1896  the  progress  of  the  movement  for  the  elevation  and  recogni- 
tion of  the  profession  of  accountancy  was  marked  by  the  passage  by  the  Leg- 
islature of  an  Act  regulating  the  practice  in  the  State  of  New  York.  This 
salutary  measure  was  secured  by  the  united  efforts  of  the  American  Associa- 
tion and  the  Institute  of  Accountants  (of  which  latter  Charles  E.  Sprague  is 
President),  assisted  by  Melvil  Dewey,  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Ee- 
gents.  The  Act,  which  elevates  the  practice  of  accountancy  to  the  plane  of  a 
degreed  profession,  was  signed  by  Governor  Morton  April  17,  1896,  and  reads 
as  follows : 

An  Act  to  regulate  the  profession  of  public  accountants : 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly, 
do  enact  as  follows : 

Section  1.  Any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  person  who  has  duly  de- 
clared his  intention  of  becoming  such  citizen,  residing  or  having  a  place  for 
the  regular  transaction  of  business  in  the  State  of  New  York,  being  over  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  and  of  good  moral  character,  and  who  shall  have 
received  from  the  Kegents  of  the  University' a  certificate  of  his  qualifications  to 
practice  as  a  public  accountant,  as  hereinafter  provided,  shall  be  styled  and 
known  as  a  certified  public  accountant ;  and  no  other  person  shall  assume  such 
title,  or  use  the  abbreviation  C.  P.  A.,  or  any  other  words,  letters  or  figures, 
to  indicate  that  the  person  using  the  same  is  such  certified  public  accountant. 

Section  2.  The  Eegeuts  of  the  University  shall  make  rules  for  the  examina- 
tion of  persons  applying  for  certificates  under  this  Act,  and  may  appoint  a 
Board  of  three  examiners  for  the  purpose,  which  Board  shall,  after  the  year 
1897,  be  composed  of  certified  public  accountants.  The  Regents  shall  charge 
for  examination  and  certificate  such  fee  as  may  be  necessary  to  meet  the 
actual  expenses  of  such  examinations,  and  they  shall  report  annually  their 
receipts  and  expenses  under  the  provisions  of  this  act  to  the  State  Comp- 
troller, and  pay  the  balance  of  receipts  over  expenditures  to  the  State  Treas- 
urer. The  Regents  may  revoke  any  such  certificate  for  sufiicient  cause  after 
written  notice  to  the  holder  thereof  and  a  hearing  thereon. 

Section  3.  The  Regents  may,  in  their  discretion,  waive  the  examination  of 
any  person  possessing  the  qualifications  mentioned  in  Section  1  who  shall 
have  been,  for  more  than  one  year  before  the  passage  of  this  Act,  practicing 
in  this  State  on  his  own  account  as  a  public  accountant,  and  who  shall  apply 
in  writing  for  such  certificate  within  one  year  after  the  passage  of  this  Act. 

Section  4.  Any  violation  of  this  Act  shall  be  a  misdemeanor. 

Section  5.  This  Act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

In  May,  1897,  the  American  Association  of  Public  Accountants  decided 
that  those  members  who  had  received  degrees  in  accordance  with  the  Act  of 
1896  should  organize  a  society  to  act  in  harmony  with  the  American  Associa- 
tion, to  be  known  as  the  National  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants,  to 
continue  the  pioneer  work  in  States  where  legal  recognition  had  not  yet  been 
secured.  The  National  society  was  incorporated  August  17,  1897,  by  Arthur 
W.  Smith,  Andrew  A.  Clarke,  Frank  I.  Stott,  Joseph  Hardcastle,  Richard 
Marvin  Chapman,  Albert  B.  Bierck,  Henry  R.  M.  Cook,  Francis  William 


Public  Accountancy  in  New  York  State, 


341 


St.  George  How,  C.  D.  Phelps  and  A.  P.  Walker,  and  on  August  18  organ- 
ized with  a  membership  of  sixty-eight,  including  the  following  officers: 
President,  Arthur  W.  Smith ;  First  Vice-President,  Albert  B.  Bierck ;  Second 
Vice-President,  Franklin  Allen ;  Secretary,  Frederick  C.  Manvel ;  and  Treas- 
urer, Leonard  H.  Conant. 

The  Institute  of  Accounts,  which,  as  we  have  just  noted,  assisted  in  secur- 
ing the  law  regulating  accountancy  in  this  State,  was  incorporated  July  28, 
1882.  It  is  composed  chiefly  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  who  are  inter- 
ested in  and  have  attained  to  some  distinction  in  the  profession  of  accounts 
and  finances,  and  desire  to  promote  the  objects  for  which  the  body  was 
organized.  These  objects  are  briefly  to  secure  a  proper  recognition  of  account- 
ing as  a  vital  element  of  business;  to  discover  new  principles  of  accounting, 
and  to  arrange  them  in  an  orderly  manner  for  the  enlargement  of  the  science; 
to  originate  and  circulate  literature  on  the  subject;  to  maintain  the  dignity 
and  uphold  the  importance  of  the  profession ;  to  broaden  the  scope  of  the 
science  of  political  economy ;  to  establish  harmonious  relations  of  mutual  de- 
pendence between  itself  and  the  business  world,  and  to  induce  able  and  experi- 
enced men  everywhere  to  devote  their  energies  in  association  with  it,  to  the 
accomplishment  of  its  purposes.  Its  membership  is  organized  into  sej^arate 
societies  known  as  Chapters,  and  its  government  is  vested  in  a  convention 
composed  of  the  President,  the  several  Vice-Presidents,  the  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Institute,  together  with  delegates  chosen  by  the  Chapters. 
There  are  two  grades  or  classes  of  membership,  known  resx^ectively  as  "Mem- 
bers" and  "Fellows,"  certificates  being  issued  only  after  an  examination  con- 
ducted in  writing  has  been  passed.  The  first  examination  occurs  before 
admission,  the  second  (for  Fellowship  certificate)  not  sooner  than  twelve 
months  thereafter.  The  management  and  control  of  the  Institute,  as  a 
national  body,  is  vested  in  an  "Executive  Council,"  which  is  also  the  court  of 
final  appeal  in  disputed  questions  arising  between  members  in  Chapters  and 
between  Chapters.  The  national  officers  of  the  Institute  are  Charles  E. 
Sprague,  President;  Edward  J.  Fitzgerald,  Treasurer,  and  Henry  Harney, 
Secretary.  The  headquarters  of  the  Institute  are  in  New  York  City,  the 
Secretary's  office  being  at  88  Wall  Street. 

The  New  York  State  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants  was  incorpo- 
rated January  28,  1897,  by  John  Hourigan,  Francis  Gottsberger,  Henry 
Harney,  S.  E.  Sargent  and  Farquhar  J.  Macrae,  "for  the  purpose  of  elevat- 
ing and  maintaining  the  standard  of  proficiency,  integrity  and  character,  and 
promoting  and  protecting  the  interests  of  Certified  Public  Accountants ;  also  of 
cultivating  a  spirit  of  professional  co-operation  and  social  intercourse  among 
its  members."  The  seventeen  charter  members  were  the  incorporators  and 
J.  R.  Loomis,  A.  S.  Patterson,  Charles  Both,  Rodney  Strong  Dennis,  A.  W. 
Teele,  Thomas  Bagot,  Charles  W.  Haskins,  E.  W.  Sells,  J.  N.  Kelly, 
H.  S.  Corwin,  Edward  L.  Suffern  and  T.  P.  Ryan.    On  May  10th  the  fol- 


342 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


lowing  officers  were  elected :  President,  Charles  W.  Haskins ;  Vice-President, 
John  Hourigan;  Secretary,  A.  W.  Teele;  Treasurer,  H.  S.  Corwin;  and  a 
Board  of  thirteen  Directors.  The  present  officers  are :  Charles  W.  Haskins, 
President ;  John  E.  Loomis  and  H.  E.  M.  Cook,  Vice-Presidente ;  A.  W. 
Teele,  Secretary ;  and  James  N.  Kelly,  Treasurer.  The  first  annual  dinner 
of  the  New  York  State  Society  was  held  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  New 
York,  December  28,  1897,  and  was  notable  for  the  distinction  of  the  company 
gathered  and  the  universal  recognition  of  the  importance  of  the  new  move- 
ment. George  E.  Blanchard  spoke  on  ' '  The  Eeinf  orcement  of  Corporate  Integ- 
rity;" Hon.  Melvii  Dewey  on  "The  Higher  Business  Education;"  Francis 
S.  Bangs  on  "The  value  of  the  Accountant  to  the  Trust  Company;"  Ashbel 
P.  Fitch  on  "Municipal  Accounts;"  Wm.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  on  "The 
Accountant  in  Eailroad  Examinations ;"  James  G.  Cannon  on  "The  Eelations 
of  the  Accountant  to  the  Credit  Man;"  Chester  S.  Lord  on  "The  News- 
papers;" the  Eev.  Sylvester  Malone  on  the  recognition  of  the  Society  by  the 
State  Board  of  Eegents ;  and  the  President  of  the  Society,  Mr.  Haskins,  on 
the  history  and  dignity  of  accountancy.  This  Society,  which  now  has  a 
membership  of  seventy-five,  is  destined  to  occupy  the  same  relation  to  pro- 
fessional accountancy  as  the  New  York  Bar  Association  occupies  toward  the 
profession  of  law.  Membership  therein  is  a  guarantee  of  expert  ability  and 
integrity  of  character,  which  are  the  two  prime  essentials  for  men  who  are 
called  upon  to  probe,  explain,  simplify  and  systematize  other  people's  affairs; 
rectify  their  mistakes,  possibly  uncover  their  willful  misdoings,  and  to  sustain 
confidential  relations  with  clients  in  the  business  world  which  correspond  with 
the  privileged  relations  of  the  lawyer,  family  physician  and  pastor  in  their 
respective  fields  of  law,  medicine  and  religion.  The  Society  has  permanent 
headquarters  at  Eoom  1,224,  Johnston  Building,  New  York  City,  where  it  is 
accumulating  a  library  for  the  use  of  its  members,  and  a  bureau  of  registra- 
tion by  which  it  is  possible  to  obtain  the  fullest  information  concerning  the 
moral  and  business  qualifications  of  assistants  seeking  employment. 

Of  the  significance  and  importance  of  this  new  profession  in  general,  it  may  be 
said  that  they  are  only  beginning  to  be  realized.  A  glance  at  the  biographies 
which  follow  will  give  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  vested  interests  over  which 
the  Certified  Public  Accountant  is  called  to  preside  by  temporary  or  perma- 
nent engagement.  He  is  summoned  by  the  United  States  Government  to 
Washington  to  revise  the  accounting  system  of  which  Alexander  Hamilton 
was  one  of  the  founders.  He  is  called  by  great  cities  to  examine  their  cor- 
porate affairs  to  see  if  public  funds  have  been  diverted  from  legitimate  uses. 
He  is  engaged  by  vast  railroad  combinations  to  systematize  their  books,  so 
that  the  operations  of  various  branches  and  departments  may  be  co-ordinated 
and  rendered  intelligible.  And  he  is  employed  to  investigate  the  books,  ac- 
counts and  affairs  of  individuals  and  firms,  and  estates  of  decedents  and  in- 
solvents, to  certify  to  their  condition  and  make  such  recommendation  as  is 


Public  Accountancy  a  Degreed  Profession. 


343 


suggested  by  each  case.  The  frequency  of  the  losses  suffered  by  shareholders 
of  corporations  in  consequence  of  irregularities  and  mismanagement  has  led 
to  the  growing  practice  of  periodical  examinations  and  audits  by  independent 
experts,  called  in  from  the  outside,  whose  skillful  investigation  and  fearless 
and  unbiased  reports  are  of  inestimable  advantage,  not  only  to  the  officers  of 
the  corporation  themselves,  but  to  shareholders  and  prospective  investors. 
The  extension  of  this  system  of  independent  audits  operates  in  turn  to  pro- 
mote investment  in  American  securities ;  for  by  such  means  the  real  condition 
of  a  corporation's  affairs  is  known,  misrepresentations  by  ignorant  or  deceit- 
ful officials  are  checked,  faults  of  bookkeeping  are  detected,  and  frequently 
failure  averted  by  the  revelation  and  correction  of  some  weakness  of  business 
policy.  The  interest  manifested  by  the  public  in  the  passage  of  the  act  of 
1896  creating  the  degree  of  Certified  Public  Accountant,  and  recognizing 
accountancy  as  a  learned  profession  in  the  State  of  New  York,  is  indicated  by 
indorsements  representing  and  aggregating  over  $1,000,000,000  of  capital  in 
New  York  State,  headed  by  the  New  York  Clearing  House,  and  supported  by 
many  of  the  leading  financial  institutions  of  the  State.  It  may  safely  be 
predicted  that  not  many  years  will  elapse  before  the  profession  of  accountancy, 
protected  by  law  from  the  malpractice  of  incompetent  pretenders,  as  the  legal 
and  medical  professions  are  now  guarded,  will  have  reached  an  importance 
and  risen  to  a  dignity  never  before  attained. 

A  striking  illustration  of  the  broad  development  of  the  modern  science  of 
professional  accountancy  is  afforded  by  the  establishment  of  the  International 
Audit  Bureau  for  general  accounting,  mercantile  and  financial  information. 
This  Bureau  has  been  organized  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  and  maintain- 
ing an  office  for  International  Accounting  and  Financial  Information,  for  the 
benefit  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Mercantile,  Manufacturing  and  Financial  in- 
terests. It  is  contemplated  especially  to  facilitate  the  establishment  of  agen- 
cies or  representations  of  foreign  trade  in  the  markets  of  the  United  States, 
and  by  such  means  as  may  be  appropriate  and  necessary,  to  promote  and  to 
further  international  commercial  intercourse  and  transactions.  Connections 
will  be  made  in  the  principal  mercantile  and  manufacturing  centers  of  Europe 
and  South  America.  The  Bureau  is  under  the  supervision  of  Edouard 
Glardon  and  Samuel  D.  Patterson,  Public  Accountants  and  Auditors,  with 
offices  at  146  Broadway,  Telephone  5310  Cortlandt,  and  Cable  address  "Glar- 
nos, "  New  York.  Analyses  of  reports,  statements  and  balance  sheets  of 
financial  institutions,  corporations,  commercial  and  manufacturing  enterprises 
will  be  furnished  in  behalf  of  clients  and  investors.  The  Financial  Depart- 
ment, under  the  special  supervision  of  Maurice  L.  Muhleman,  of  the  United 
States  Treasury,  will  furnish  financial  and  commercial  data  and  statistical 
information.  From  the  very  nature  of  its  undertaking  it  is  believed  that  the 
International  Audit  Bureau  will  prove  a  factor  in  the  restoration  and  main- 
tenance of  confidence  in  American  enterprises  and  American  investments,  thus 


344  Neio  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

stimulating  the  influx  of  foreign  capital,  tending  to  bring  into  closer  relations 
the  business  men  of  Europe  and  America,  and  facilitating  international 
commerce  in  its  broadest  sense. 

Franklin  Allen,  Second  Vice-President  of  the  National  Society  of  Certified 
Public  Accountants,  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1838.  Mr.  Allen  is  the 
son  of  Daniel  Bicknell  Allen  and  Ethelinda  Vanderbilt,  both  of  New  York 
City,  and  obtained  his  education  at  Forrest  Academy  in  New  York  City,  and 
at  Williams  College.  Mr.  Allen  was  the  first  secretary  of  the  Silk  Associa- 
tion of  America,  and  conducted  the  affairs  of  that  organization  from  1872  to 
1878.  In  1882  he  became  Private  Secretary  to  Mayor  Low,  of  Brooklyn, 
and  continued  in  that  responsible  position  until  1886.  He  was  then  elected 
President  of  the  Fire  Association  of  New  York,  which  position  he  occupied 
for  two  years  He  then  became  activelj^  engaged  in  the  profession  of  Ac- 
countancy, and  stands  among  the  foremost  members  of  his  profession.  He 
is  well  known  in  financial  and  mercantile  circles ;  has  had  considerable  expe- 
rience in  Wall  Street,  and  filled  many  positions  of  honor  in  the  financial,  com- 
mercial and  political  world.  The  list  of  Mr.  Allen's  clients  embraces  a  great 
number  of  prominent  men,  firms  and  corporations.  He  is  also  extensively  em- 
ployed in  the  examination  of  municipal,  County  and  State  accounts.  In  March, 
1898,  Mr.  Allen  was  unanimously  chosen  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Silk  Association  of  America  to  resume  his  former  position  as  Secretary,  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Briton  Richardson.  His  Brooklyn  office  is  in  the 
Arbuckle  Building,  City  Hall  Square,  and  Manhattan  office  in  the  Silk  Ex- 
change Building,  Broadway  and  Broome  Street.  Mr.  Allen  M-as  married 
in  1866  to  Abbie  Miller,  youngest  daughter  of  Captain  Wm.  T.  Miller,  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Their  residence  for  some  years  has 
been  at  the  Hotel  Margaret,  Columbia  Heights,  Brooklyn. 

John  H.  Allen,  of  46  Wall  Street,  who  established  himself  in  1864  as  a 
public  accountant,  has  the  satisfaction  and  distinction  of  having  practiced  his 
profession  longer  than  any  accountant  now  engaged  in  practice  in  New  York 
City,  and  during  his  long  and  honorable  career  has  performed  work  which 
covers  the  entire  range  of  accounting.  He  comes  from  good  New  England 
stock,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  was  educated  in  New  York ;  and  began 
life  in  the  official  department  of  a  large  mercantile  house,  where  he  was  given 
ample  opportunity  for  developing  a  remarkable  faculty  for  accounts  which 
eventually  led  to  his  selection  of  accountancy  as  a  profession.  He  first 
gained  prominence  in  1865  in  the  celebrated  "Eastman  case,"  where  large 
sums  had  been  advanced  on  forged  warehouse  receipts  by  the  banks  and  mer- 
cantile houses,  which  employed  Mr.  Allen  to  make  an  examination  of  East- 
man's affairs.  The  comprehensive  manner  in  which  he  performed  this  work 
proved  the  foundation  of  his  success,  for  shortly  thereafter  he  secured  clients 
who  have  steadily  retained  his  services  throughout  a  third  of  a  century. 
While  conducting  a  general  i^ractice,  Mr.  Allen  has  especially  distinguished 


THOMAS  E.  ARNOLD. 


HENRY  T.  BRAGG. 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  New  York. 


347 


lumself  iu  banking,  insurance  and  mercantile  work,  and  has  been  employed 
by  municipal  governments  to  make  examinations  and  ascertain  the  condition 
of  their  financial  departments ;  among  them  are  the  cities  of  Brooklyn,  Buffalo, 
Kingston  and  Long  Island  City,  where  his  work  met  with  public  commenda- 
tion. Among  the  important  cases  in  which  he  has  demonstrated  his  pro- 
ficiency in  accounting  are  the  "Alliger  case,"  the  John  C.  Eno  case,  and  the 
B.  T.  Babbitt  case,  and  in  the  affairs  of  the  East  Tennessee,  Virginia  & 
Georgia  Kailroad  Co.,  Eochester  &  Pittsburg  Eailroad  Co.,  Houston  & 
Texas  Central  Eailroad  Co.,  the  Burden  Iron  Co.,  Central  American  Transit 
Co.,  North  American  Steamship  Co.,  Amsterdam  Carpet  Mills,  Jewett  Stove 
Works,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  S.  S.  Jewett  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  Washoe  Tool  Mfg. 
Co.,  North  British  &  Mercantile  Insurance  Co.,  Jackson  Iron  Works,  Mutual 
District  Telegraph  Co.,  Poughkeepsie  Iron  Co.,  Methodist  Book  Concern, 
"North  American  Eeview,  "  and  many  others  in  New  York,  Liverpool,  London 
and  elsewhere.  He  is  widely  esteemed,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  nature  of  his 
calls  and  his  manifold  engagements  throughout  this  country  and  England. 

Thomas  E.  Arnold,  CP. A.,  206  Broadway,  was  born  in  the  metropolis, 
and  comes  of  old  New  York  stock.  Various  generations  of  this  family  have 
included  men  of  eminence.  His  grandfather,  Thomas  Arnold,  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  recognized  as  an  authority  on  nautical  matters  of  his  day,  and  is 
the  author  of  a  valuable  work  on  navigation.  Thomas  E.  is  the  son  of  John 
M.  and  Maria  T.  Arnold.  The  latter,  who  is  a  member  of  the  well-known 
Harvey  family,  survives  in  her  eighty -third  year.  The  Hon.  John  H.  V. 
Arnold,  the  present  distinguished  Surrogate  of  New  York,  is  a  brother.  Edu- 
cated in  piiblic  and  private  schools,  young  Arnold  began  his  career  as  clerk 
with  Philip  Dater  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  became  connected  with  a  large  distillery  house.  He  next 
engaged  in  the  distilling  and  wine  business,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years  was  doing  a  business  of  $1,000,000  per  annum,  and  occupied  five  build- 
ings, 130-138  Cedar  Street.  In  1881  he  relinquished  that  business  and  estab- 
lished himself  aa  an  Accountant.  He  has  conducted  a  general  practice,  but  at 
the  same  time  has  given  particular  attention  to  banking  and  mercantile 
accounts,  and,  during  the  last  seven  years,  matters  relating  to  legal  work. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Association  of  Public  Accountants,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Legislative  Committee  of  that  organization  which  secured  the 
passage  of  the  bill  regulating  the  profession.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Arnold  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  members  in  his  vocation,  and  re- 
ceived a  high  compliment  from  Mayor  Van  Wyck,  who  appointed  him  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Citizens'  Committee  to  represent  the  profession  of  accountancy  in 
the  movement  for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  the  men  who  went  down  with 
the  Maine.  This  Committee  is  acting  in  conjunction  and  co-operation  with 
the  National  Committee,  of  which  ex- Vice-President  Levi  P.  Morton  is 


348 


New  York:  The  Second  City  oj  the  World. 


President,  and  George  Gould  the  Treasurer.  Mr.  Arnold  is  married,  and 
resides  in  this  City.  In  politics  lie  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and 
through  his  political  affiliations  has  become  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club. 

Albert  Boy  kin  Bierck,  Certified  Public  Accountant  and  Auditor  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company,  was  born  in  1865.  Since  his  eighteenth  year  he 
has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  railway  service  and  the  profession  of  ac- 
countancy. His  experience  has  been  wide  and  varied,  particularly  in  railway 
matters,  iu  which  branch  he  is  considered  an  expert,  having  served  in  many 
departments  of  the  great  trunk  lines,  at  one  time  having  charge  of  the  light- 
erage department  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Eailroad  Co.,  at  New  York.  Mr. 
Bierck  was  among  the  first  to  practice  the  profession  of  accountancy  in  the 
West,  and  through  him  this  new  profession,  so  necessary  in  the  complicated 
affairs  of  large  enterprises  and  corporations,  was  first  brought  to  the  attention 
of  that  section.  Coming  east,  he  quickly  established  a  large  practice  among 
important  firms  and  corporations.  He  was  assistant  to  the  auditor  of  the 
National  Express  Co.  in  1885,  auditor  of  the  Prospect  Park  and  Coney  Island 
Eailroad  from  1889  to  1893,  and  subsequently  became  auditor  of  the  Long 
Island  Eailroad  Company,  which  responsible  position  he  now  holds.  Mr. 
Bierck  was  one  of  the  ten  incorporators  of  the  National  Society  of  Certified 
Public  Accountants  in  the  United  States,  which  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  August  17,  1897,  and  was  elected  First  Vice- 
President  of  the  same,  August  18,  1897.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Asso- 
ciation of  American  Eailway  Accounting  Officers,  the  American  Association 
of  Public  Accountants,  and  the  New  York  State  Society  of  Certified  Public 
Accountants.  In  industrial  interests  his  attention  is  now  directed  to  the  South, 
and  he  is  a  Director  of  the  Gaffney  Carpet  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Gaffney, 
S.  C,  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  South,  Among  the  members  of 
his  profession  Mr.  Bierck  is  popular  and  highly  respected.  He  resides  in 
Brooklyn  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  daughter. 

Henry  T.  Bragg,  CP. A.,  born  in  the  metropolis  in  1850,  and  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Brooklyn  and  the  Polytechnic  Institute,  is  a  son  of 
Henry  T.  Bragg,  a  late  prominent  New  York  business  man,  and  Serena  Bry- 
ant. His  grandfather,  Isaac  F.  Bragg,  was  President  of  the  Mechanics'  In- 
stitute School,  and  was  the  first  man  to  introduce  in  this  country  the  public 
use  of  steel  pens.  Professor  Bragg' s  wife  was  Sarah  Eoyce,  a  member  of  the 
well-known  Eutgers  family  of  this  City.  Young  Bragg  began  his  career  as 
office  boy,  advanced  through  the  grades  of  clerk,  salesman,  bookkeeper  and 
cashier,  and  obtained  his  first  experience  in  expert  accounting  while  with 
John  M.  Davies  &  Co.  In  1880  he  began  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to 
general  public  accounting,  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  banking  and  manu- 
facturing work.  In  1892  he  organized  the  firm  of  Bragg  &  Marin,  253 
Broadway,  John  C.  Marin,  CP. A.,  being  his  partner.  Mr.  Bragg  was  em- 
ployed by  the  United  States  Government  to  make  an  examination  of  the  affairs 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  Neiv  York. 


349 


of  tlie  Sixth  National  Bank,  and  assist  United  States  District  Attorney  Mitch- 
ell in  the  trial  of  the  officers  of  that  institution,  who,  it  was  charged,  had 
attempted  to  wreck  it.  The  trial  resulted  in  the  conviction  and  sending  to 
prison  of  Pell,  Clausen  and  another  officer.  In  1892  the  United  States  Kubber 
Company  was  incorporated,  and  employed  Mr.  Bragg's  firm  in  making  all  the 
preliminary  examinations,  etc.,  even  to  the  liquidation  papers  of  the  business 
of  the  separate  concerns  of  which  the  consolidation  of  $40,000,000  of  capital 
was  formed.  In  1893  Mr.  Bragg  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
and  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  company,  which  resulted  in  the  con- 
solidation now  known  as  the  Brooklyn,  Queens  County  and  Suburban  Kail- 
way  system,  and  was  Secretary  of  the  company  until  the  consummation  of  the 
deal.  These  are  but  instances  of  Messrs.  Bragg  and  Marin's  numerous  and 
prominent  engagements.  Mr.  Bragg  is  also  extensively  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  light  machinery,  the"Harrell  Chainless  Bicycle,"  and  the" Coy le 
Pump,"  for  domestic  purposes,  being  two  of  his  well-known  products.  In 
1872  Mr.  Bragg  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  E.  Howland,  a  descendant  of 
Henry  Howland,  of  Mayflower  fame.  He  resides  in  Yonkers,  is  a  member 
of  the  City  Club  of  Yonkers,  and  the  New  York  State  Society  of  Certified 
Public  Accountants.  He  was  prominent  in  the  N.  Y.  S.  N.  G.,  enlisting  as 
a  private  in  the  Twenty-third  Eegiment  in  1872,  and  resigning  in  1881,  as 
Captain  of  Company  A,  Thirteenth  Eegiment. 

Frank  Broaker,  C.  P.  A.,  as  a  member  of  the  Legislative  Committee  of  the 
American  Association  of  Public  Accountants,  took  a  prominent  part  in  secur- 
ing the  success  of  the  measure  for  the  regulation  of  public  accountancy.  It 
was  largely  through  his  efforts  that  the  bill,  as  passed,  had  been  drafted,  and 
as  spokesman  of  the  Association's  Committee  he  appeared  before  both  the 
House  and  Senate  Committees  in  its  behalf.  The  procedure  of  the  account- 
ants' examinations  was  formulated  by  him,  and  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
examiners  and  elected  Secretary  of  the  Board.  Born  in  Millerstown,  Perry 
County,  Pa.,  and  fatherless  at  the  age  of  one  year,  Frank  Broaker  graduated 
from  the  public  schools  of  New  York  in  1877,  and  is  a  good  example  of  the 
self-made  man.  Employed  by  an  East  India  importing  house  during  the  day, 
he  obtained  a  rudimentary  education  in  bookkeeping  at  the  night  school  of 
the  Toung  Men's  Christian  Association.  When  eighteen  he  was  made  chief 
accountant  of  his  firm,  upon  the  dissolution  of  which  he  was  retained  by 
John  Eoundey,  the  expert  accountant  employed  to  wind  up  its  affairs.  He 
was  steadily  retained  as  an  assistant  by  the  latter  gentleman,  and  established 
himself  as  a  public  accountant  in  1888.  In  1892  Mr.  Broaker  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Eichard  M.  Chapman,  under  the  present  name  of  Broaker  k 
Chapman,  whose  commodious  offices  are  located  on  the  fourth  floor  of  150 
Nassau  Street.  The  firm  conducts  a  general  accounting  practice,  and  has  an 
especially  large  clientage  among  commercial,  mercantile,  manufacturing  and 
banking  interests,  while  the  ramifications  of  its  work  extend  to  all  sections  of 


350 


New  York:  The  Second  Citij  of  the  Wo?'ld. 


the  United  States  and  Europe  in  almost  every  cliannel  of  business.  Mr. 
Breaker  received  C.  P.  A  certificate  No.  1,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Governors  of  the  National  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants  in  the 
United  States,  and  has  been  successively  Trustee,  Secretary,  Vice-President 
and  President  of  the  American  Association  of  Public  Accountants.  He  is  the 
co-author,  with  his  partner,  Mr.  Chapman,  of  "The  American  Accountants' 
Manual,"  the  first  publication  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States,  and  a  work 
which  has  received  commendation  from  jurists,  lawyers  and  accountants.  Mr. 
Chapman  is  also  a  member  of  the  above-mentioned  associations,  and  was 
actively  interested  in  the  Certified  Public  Accountant  bill. 

Frederick  W.  Child,  F.I.  A.,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1844,  and  while 
a  boy  moved  West  with  his  family.  He  received  a  common  school  and  high 
school  education,  and  reaching  eighteen  years  of  age  in  the  midst  of  the  Civil 
War,  went  to  the  front  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Wisconsin  Volunteers.  During 
the  three  years  that  he  was  in  the  Army,  his  marked  clerical  ability  caused 
his  services  much  to  be  sought  for  in  keeping  the  ofiicial  records  and  accounts 
at  brigade,  division  and  army  headquarters.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he 
was  chief  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Provost  Marshal-General  at  General 
Thomas'  headquarters.  Soon  after  the  war  he  became  engaged  with  the 
Novelty  Iron  Works,  which  was  one  of  the  largest  iron  works  iu  the  country 
at  the  time,  and  with  which  he  continued  until  the  company  discontinued 
business  some  four  years  thereafter.  Then  for  twenty-three  years  he  served 
as  accountant  for  the  firm  (and  subsequent  corporation)  of  Henry  E.  Worth- 
ington;  and  more  recently  was  auditor  for  three  years  for  the  American 
Lithographic  Company,  whose  accounting  system  he  devised.  Since  then  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  public  accounting,  giving  especial  attention  to  cost  and 
corporation  accounts.  He  has  also  done  important  work  in  connection  with 
cases  of  alleged  defalcation,  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  which  was  that  of 
E.  S.  Greeley  &  Co.  His  devices  for  curtailing  the  labor  of  bookkeepers, 
and  his  "systemic  arrangement  of  tables  for  ready  reference,"  are  extensively 
used  by  manufacturers  for  quickly  calculating  their  piece  work  and  pay  rolls. 
Mr.  Child  is  a  member  of  Lafayette  Post,  G.A.E.,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Insti- 
tute of  Accounts,  of  which  latter  body  he  was  made  President  in  1894.  He 
has  been  a  frequent  writer  on  subjects  connected  with  his  profession.  The 
pamphlet  entitled  "Elements  of  Cost  and  Methods  of  Accounting  in  Steam 
Engine  Works,"  being  a  report  of  one  of  his  addresses  in  1881,  has  had  a 
larger  circulation  perhaps  than  any  other  treatise  on  this  subject. 

Leonard  Hubbard  Conant,  CP. A.,  was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in 
1856,  and  is  the  son  of  the  late  J.  Edwin  Conant,  who  was  associated  with 
CoL  J.  Condit  Smith  in  the  construction  of  the  Chicago  &  Atlantic  Kailway, 
now  known  as  the  Chicago  &  Erie.  Leonard  H.  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Koger  Conant,  who  came  to  America  in  1623,  and  became  the  first  Governor 
of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  and  his  family  are  connected  by  marriage 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  New  York. 


353 


with  the  Leonard,  Hubbard  and  Eutherford  families  of  New  England.  He 
was  educated  at  private  schools  in  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  the  Siglar  School  in  New- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Mass.,  which  he  left  in  1873 
to  begin  his  business  career.  During  the  following  six  years  Mr.  Conantwas 
employed  as  bookkeeper  in  the  New  York  offices  of  various  railway  companies 
and  mercantile  firms,  and  in  1879  became  the  chief  clerk  and  auditor  for 
Conant  &  Smith,  during  their  construction  of  the  Chicago  &  Atlantic  Rail- 
way, upon  the  completion  of  which,  in  1883,  he  was  elected  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  the  railway  company,  his  duties  involving  a  general  supervision  of  its 
accounts.  During  this  time  he  was  associated  in  a  private  as  well  as  an 
official  capacity  with  Hugh  J.  Jewett,  the  President  of  the  company.  On  the 
reorganization  of  the  railway  company  in  1889,  Mr.  Conant  resigned,  and 
established  himself  as  a  public  accountant  in  this  City,  carrying  on  a  general 
practice  of  accountancy,  giving  special  attention  to  estates,  mercantile,  munic- 
ipal, and  corporation  accounting  in  all  its  branches,  and  enjoys  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  an  expert  of  the  highest  order  of  ability.  Mr.  Conant  is  a 
Certified  Public  Accountant  of  the  State  of  New  York ;  a  Governor  and  the 
Treasurer  of  the  National  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants  in  the 
United  States ;  a  Trustee  and  the  Treasurer  of  the  American  Association  of 
Public  Accountants,  and  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Society  of  Certified 
Public  Accountants.  He  resides  in  East  Orange,  N.  J.  In  1886  he  married 
the  daughter  of  "Walter  Greacen,  Esq.,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  has  one  child, 
a  daughter  ten  years  of  age.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  Club  and 
the  Orange  Club  of  East  Orange,  and  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being 
a  Knight  Templar,  a  Thirty -second  degree,  Scottish  Eite  Mason,  and  a  member 
of  Mecca  Temple,  A. A. O.N. M.S.,  N.  Y. 

Hamilton  S.  Corwin,  of  the  firm  of  Patterson  &  Corwin,  was  born  in 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  March  26,  1855.  After  receiving  a  good  aca- 
demic education,  he  began  business  life  at  an  early  age  as  a  clerk  in  a  rail- 
road office,  and  a  few  years  later  became  private  secretary  of  a  large  corpora- 
tion engaged  in  the  concentration  and  amalgamation  of  various  manufacturing 
and  transportation  interests.  His  knowledge  of  corporate  aifairs  thus  ob- 
tained was  of  inestimable  value  to  him  in  later  years,  and  enabled  him,  with 
other  experience,  to  become  an  expert  statistical  and  analytical  accountant. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  professional  auditor,  devoting  his  time  to  the  ver- 
ification of  the  accounts  of  the  allied  corporate  interests  before  referred  to, 
and  to  the  development  of  simplicity,  perfection  and  uniformity  of  accounts. 
He  has  been  active  in  all  measures  that  have  had  a  tendency  to  elevate  the 
profession,  and  especially  interested  himself  in  the  passage  of  the  law  regulat- 
ing accountants  in  this  State.  In  1896  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of  the  New 
York  State  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants.  Mr.  Corwin'a  firm  has 
won  a  more  than  national  reputation  by  some  of  its  expert  work  in  large  and 
important  mercantile  and  corporate  affairs,  notably  by  the  report  on  the  Balti- 


354 


A^cw  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


more  &  Ohio  Eailroad  in  1897,  whicliwas  published  and  commented  upon  by 
the  press  at  home  and  abroad.  His  contributions  to  the  "Bond  Eecord" 
1894-95,  concerning  Annual  Eailroad  Eeports  were  considered  the  most  able 
that  had  ever  appeared  on  the  subject.  Mr.  Corwin  is  a  member  of  the  Law- 
yers' Club,  the  Colonial  Wars,  Sons  of  the  Eevolution,  and  Long  Island  His- 
torical Societies,  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  the  Mon- 
tauk  Club  of  Brooklyn. 

Henry  Harney,  CP. A.,  of  88  Wall  Street,  New  York,  is  an  able  and  lead- 
ing member  of  the  profession  whose  practice  has  been  conducted  in  strict 
conformity  with  the  high  principles  he  has  always  advocated  for  the  regula- 
tion of  the  accountant's  calling.  He  is  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  his  father 
being  the  late  Prof.  E.  Ehodes  Harney,  Principal  of  the  Franklin  Square 
Female  Seminary.  Mr.  Harney  received  a  liberal  education  under  his  father's 
supervision,  and  in  private  schools,  the  Bosseaux  French  Boarding  School, 
and  at  Baltimore  College,  University  of  Maryland.  Preferring  a  commercial 
rather  than  the  professional  career  for  which  he  had  been  educated,  he  was 
sent  to  Boston  to  commence  his  business  life,  and  after  a  few  years  spent  in 
that  City,  returned  south  to  fill  a  confidential  position  in  one  of  the  leading 
commercial  houses  in  Eichmond,  Va.  He  was  subsequently  elected  chief 
accountant  of  the  Bank  of  Eichmond,  which  he  held  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War,  when,  with  the  regiment  in  which  he  was  an  officer,  the  First 
Virginia  Infantry,  he  went  to  the  front  and  continued  in  active  service  through- 
out the  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  came  to  New  York  and  engaged  in 
business  as  an  accountant,  his  exceptional  abilities  soon  securing  for  him  a 
large  practice  and  high  standing  in  his  profession.  He  is  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Henry  Harney  &  Co. ,  which  conducts  a  general  practice,  but 
Mr.  Harney  himself  makes  a  specialty  of  corporation  work,  having  been 
engaged  in  the  consolidation  of  commercial  and  mercantile  interests  represent- 
ing many  millions  of  capital.  He  has  been  actively  identified  with  all  meas- 
ures that  have  assisted  in  placing  accountancy  on  a  high  professional  plane, 
and  was  one  of  the  drafters  of  the  original  accountants'  bill,  of  which  the  Act 
of  1896  was  a  modification.  He  is  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  Trustee  of 
the  New  York  State  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants,  and  a  Fellow  of 
the  Institute  of  Accounts,  of  which  association  he  was  President  for  five  con- 
secutive terms.    Mr.  Harney  enjoys  the  esteem  of  the  entire  fraternity. 

William  L.  Hartung,  one  of  the  oldest  public  expert  accountants  in  New 
York  City,  is  descended  from  Eevolutionary  stock,  both  his  great-grandfather 
and  grandfather  having  been  soldiers  in  the  Continental  Army.  He  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  N.  J.,  in  1839;  having  received  a  public-school  educa- 
tion he  started  in  life  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  general  country  store,  and 
continued  in  mercantile  life  until  1861.  The  Civil  War  breaking  out,  he  be- 
came the  chief  and  managing  clerk  to  the  late  Major  Daniel  D.  Wiley,  Com- 
missary of  Subsistence  of  Volunteers,  in  charge  of  the  depots  for  supplying 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  New  York.  355 

the  armies  operating  against  Eichmond,  and  from  1867  to  1869  was  a  clerk 
in  the  office  of  the  Commissary  General  of  Subsistence,  U.  S.  A.,  in  the 
claims  division  under  General  E.  G.  Beckwith.  He  resigned  the  latter  posi- 
tion, and  from  1869  to  1872  held  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  the  Eegister  of 
the  United  States  Treasury  Department.  In  1872  he  came  to  New  York  and 
became  Chief  Accountant  and  office  manager  to  a  large  mercantile  house, 
where  he  remained  until  1882,  when  he  established  himself  in  business  as  a 
public  accountant.  His  practice  has  been  devoted  to  a  general  line  of  work, 
but  the  investigation  and  preparation  of  accounts  for  litigation  and  the  detec- 
tion of  fraudulent  entries  have  comprised  the  bulk  of  his  practice.  Among 
his  notable  cases  have  been  the  Eeceivership  of  J.  "W.  Lyon  &  Co. ;  the  ac- 
counting for  the  Oregon  Pacific  Eailroad  Company  ;  accounting  for  Hart  vs. 
E.  Buttrick  &  Co.  and  others ;  accounting  for  A.  B.  Kellogg  in  his  suit  against 
the  Bigelow  Bluestone  Company  and  others  at  Maiden,  N.  Y.  ;  accounting  in 
the  Estate  of  Thomas  Cornell,  of  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  against  the  Executor  and 
Trustee ;  investigation  of  the  Hall  Terra  Cotta  Company  of  Perth  Amboy, 
N.  J. ;  accounting  in  the  suit  of  Thomas  Keech  vs.  Livingston ;  accounting  for 
assignee  in  the  assigment  of  Seidenberg,  Steifel  &  Co.  investigation  for  Mr. 
Oscar  Hammerstein  in  his  suit  against  Koster,  Bial  &  Co.  ;  and  accounting  in 
the  suit  of  Emma  Hayes  vs.  L.  E.  Kerr  and  others,  known  as  the  "Putnam 
House  accounting. "  Mr.  Hartung's  references  include  such  prominent  men 
as  Cephas  Brainerd,  Esq.,  Messrs.  Olney  &  Comstock,  Messrs.  Einstein  & 
Townsend,  Judge  Garret  J.  Garretson,  Messrs.  Townsend  &  Dyett,  Col. 
Thomas  Stokes,  James  Stokes,  Esq.,  L.  Laflin  Kellogg,  Esq.,  John  H.  Lyon 
&  Co.,  and  the  late  Alfred  C.  Hoe,  and  many  others;  also  a  high  testimonial 
from  the  United  States  Treasury  Department. 

Charles  Waldo  Haskins,  CP.  A.,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  January 
11,  1852,  his  parents  being  Waldo  Emerson  Haskins  and  Amelia  Eowan 
Cammeyer.  He  is  the  great-great-grandson  of  John  Haskins  and  William 
Emerson,  two  Eevolutionary  patriots  and  members  of  distinguished  Massa- 
chusetts families.  Captain  John  Haskins  was  the  companion  of  John  and 
Samuel  Adams,  Josiah  Quincy,  Edward  Case,  Joseph  Warren,  and  men  of 
that  stamp ;  and  William  Emerson,  who  died  of  camp  fever,  lived  in  the  old 
manse  at  Concord,  celebrated  by  Hawthorne,  which  he  built.  By  virtue  of 
his  ancestry,  Mr.  Haskins  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Eevolu- 
tion,  the  Mayflower  descendants,  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  Military 
Order  of  Foreign  Wars,  and  America's  Founders  and  Defenders,  and  by  vir- 
tue of  his  own  qualities  has  held  high  offices  in  some  of  them.  Profession- 
ally, he  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  modern  science  of  accountancy.  In  the 
earlier  part  of  his  career,  he  kept  the  accounts  for  the  construction  of  the  New 
York,  West  Shore  &  Buffalo  Eailroad  by  the  North  Eiver  Construction  Com- 
pany, at  the  same  time  acting  as  auditor  of  the  railway  company's  disburse- 
ments.   He  organized  the  system  of  accounts  of  the  Manhattan  Trust  Com- 


356 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


pany,  of  which  he  was  Secretary  for  several  years.  Upon  the  passage  of  the 
State  law  establishing  a  commission  for  the  examination  of  candidates  desir- 
ing to  become  Certified  Public  Accountants,  he  was  appointed  on  the  Board 
and  elected  its  first  President.  For  two  years  Mr.  Haskins  represented  his 
firm  in  revising  the  accounting  system  of  the  United  States  Government  at 
Washington,  for  which  responsible  and  enormous  duty  Haskins  &  Sells  had 
been  selected  by  the  Congressional  Commission.  Their  report,  which  recom- 
mended methods  of  simplifying  and  expediting  public  business,  was  so  satis- 
factory to  the  Government  that  it  was  promptly  adopted.  Preparatory  to  the 
Consolidation  of  Greater  New  York,  Mr.  Haskins  headed  the  Commission 
which  was  appointed  to  examine  the  accounts  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn.  He  is 
at  present  Comptroller  of  the  Central  Georgia  Eailway  Company  and  the 
Ocean  Steamship  Company.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  is  not  very 
active  in  party  affairs.  In  addition  to  the  hereditary  organizations  previously 
mentioned,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Manhattan  Club  of  New  York,  the  Metro- 
politan of  Washington,  and  the  Piedmont  of  Atlanta. 

Thomas  E.  Horley,  CP. A.,  was  born  in  England  in  the  thirties.  After 
obtaining  a  collegiate  education  in  his  own  country  and  Germany,  he  received 
a  practical  training  in  the  methods  of  banking  and  exchange,  as  conducted  in 
financial  circles  in  London.  During  this  latter  experience  he  enjoyed  advan- 
tages from  the  position  of  his  brother,  J.  T.  Horley,  who  held  a  high  ap- 
pointment in  the  Bank  of  England,  and  who  afterward  founded  the  London 
business  of  the  Eoyal  Bank  of  Scotland.  About  thirty  years  ago  Mr.  Hor- 
ley's  alert  and  enterprising  mind  turned  toward  the  New  World,  and  he  appre- 
ciated the  field  presented  by  this  growing  Eepublic  for  persons  having  skill  in 
accountancy.  He  therefore  came  to  America  in  1870,  and  has  found  here  an 
unremitting  demand  for  his  experience  in  connection  with  mercantile,  manu- 
facturing, banking,  railway,  and  general  commercial  accounting.  Noteworthy 
among  his  more  important  labors  in  recent  j^ears  was  the  investigation  of  the 
accounts  of  the  Equitable  Mortgage  Company,  under  the  appointment  of  Jus- 
tice Lacombe,  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court.  This  task  was  so  satis- 
factorily performed  that  Justice  Lacombe  selected  him  to  make  up  the 
accounts  of  the  Eeceivers  of  the  same  company,  covering  nearly  two  years' 
administration,  and  involving  over  $18,000,000  of  assets.  Mr.  Horley  has 
also  made  several  investigations  for  the  Trustees  of  the  William  Astor  estate, 
and  has  performed  much  important  work  for  large  banking  and  manufacturing 
concerns.  In  April,  1897,  he  formed  the  partnership  of  Horley,  Brummer  & 
Co.,  and  also  succeeded  to  the  business  of  Bergtheil,  Cook  &  Co.  His  prin- 
cipal associate,  Leon  Brummer,  is  a  well-known  accountant,  and  also  a  CP.  A. 

Capel  Ellis  Le  Jeune,  Certified  Public  Accountant,  was  born  in  England, 
and  began  his  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  European  Assurance  Society  of  London. 
While  still  a  young  man,  he  left  Europe  and  went  to  Canada,  whence  he 
came  to  New  York.    In  the  metropolis  of  the  New  World  he  has  attained  sue- 


FRED.  C.  MAXVEU  THOMAS  P.  RYAN. 


i 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  Neio  York. 


359 


cess  and  prominence  in  his  profession.  For  eight  years  he  was  chief  account- 
ant in  the  Fidelity  and  Casualty  Company  of  New  York.  In  1888  he  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  professional  auditor  and  public  accountant,  and  has  con- 
ducted a  general  practice,  covering  mining,  construction  works,  mercantile, 
storage  warehouse,  insurance,  surrogate  and  stock  brokers'  commission 
business.  His  clients  and  references  include  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  President 
of  the  Atlantic  Dock  Company ;  George  S.  Coe,  President  of  the  American 
Exchange  National  Bank;  G.  G.  Williams,  President  of  the  Chemical  National 
Bank;  Alexander  E.  Orr,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce;  John  A. 
McCall,  Jr.,  President  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company;  Aurelius 
B.  Hull,  Vice-President  of  the  Morris  County  Savings  Bank ;  J.  G.  McCul- 
lough,  Director  of  the  N.  Y.,  L.  E.  &  W.  K.  K.  Co.;  James  McNamee; 
Edward  B.  Merrill ;  Manhattan  Storage  and  Warehouse  Company ;  Stickney 
&  Conyngham;  Laflin  &  Rand  Powder  Co.,  and  the  New  Eochelle  Water 
Company.  Mr.  Le  Jeune  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Society  of 
Certified  Public  Accountants  and  the  National  Society  of  Certified  Public 
Accountants.  His  offices  are  at  33  Pine  Street,  and  he  resides  in  Eichmond 
Borough. 

Frederick  C.  Manvel,  Certified  Public  Accountant,  is  of  New  England 
parentage,  and  about  forty-five  years  of  age.  After  receiving  a  good  public 
school  education  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  he  came  to  New  York  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  to  take  care  of  himself.  For  ten  years  he  was  employed  in  mer- 
cantile business,  always  in  the  accounting  department,  and  then  established 
himself  in  business  on  his  own  account.  His  varied  experience  with  execu- 
tors, receivers,  cori^orations  and  societies,  has  given  him  a  general  knowledge 
of  the  methods  of  banking,  brokerage  and  manufacturing  concerns,  partner- 
ships, clubs,  etc.,  which  is  of  the  greatest  value  to  him  in  his  profession. 
He  is  the  outside  accountant  and  special  examiner  of  the  Hamilton  Trust 
Company,  and  therefore  familiar  with  that  kind  of  business.  His  wide  ex- 
perience and  established  character  have  made  his  services  as  auditor  valuable 
and  much'in  demand  by  charitable  organizations,  treasurers  of  societies,  etc., 
his  position  as  auditor  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society  in  New  York  in- 
creasing his  reputation  in  that  line  of  work.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Association  of  Public  Accountants,  and  at  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  asso- 
ciation, was  elected  to  serve  on  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  he  is  the  Secretary 
of  the  New  National  Association  of  Certified  Public  Accountants.  He  is  and 
has  been  for  many  years  the  clerk  of  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  and  his 
friendly  relations  with  its  famous  pastor,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  developed  a 
taste  for  collecting  precious  stones,  and  he  is  one  of  the  best  judges  of  them, 
being  thoroughly  informed  on  the  subject,  both  practically  and  on  its  literary 
side.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  Club,  the  Crescent  Athletic  Club. 
Long  Island  Historical  Society,  Brooklyn  Chess  Club,  Altair  Lodge  F.  and 
A.  M.,  and  other  organizations. 


3G0 


New  York:  Tlie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Frederick  Palmer  Page,  A.C.A.,  was  born  and  educated  in  England,  and 
commenced  business  life  in  the  office  of  a  public  accountant.  In  1884,  after 
passing  the  necessary'  examinations,  he  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  English 
Institute  of  Chartered  Accountants,  in  which  Institute  he  still  maintains  his 
membership.  After  serving  for  some  time  upon  the  staff  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing firms  of  chartered  accountants  in  London,  he  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1890  and  joined  the  New  York  staff  of  Messrs.  Deloitte,  Dever,  Griffiths  & 
Co.,  chartered  accountants,  of  London  and  New  York.  He  remained  with 
that  firm  for  three  years,  leaving  it  in  1894  to  commence  practice  on  his  own 
account  at  his  present  address  in  the  Corn  Exchange  Bank  Building.  His 
professional  experience,  extending  over  more  than  twenty  years,  has  included 
almost  every  class  of  undertaking,  comprising  some  of  the  largest  of  their 
respective  kinds  in  both  England  and  the  United  States.  The  accounts  which 
have  received  his  attention  during  the  past  few  years  have  covered  a  wide 
range,  including  those  of  insurance,  gas,  water  and  electric  light  companies, 
manufacturing  corporations,  importing  houses,  brewery,  and  loan  and  invest- 
ment companies.  He  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  accounts  in 
litigated  cases  and  the  presentation  of  the  results  as  an  expert  witness  in  the 
courts,  in  which  capacity  he  has  proved  successful  in  several  important  cases. 

Thomas  P.  Eyan,  CP. A.,  is  a  native  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  was  born  in 
October,  1859.  He  was  educated  at  the  schools  of  the  Christian  Brothers  in 
New  York  and  under  private  tutors,  with  a  view  to  fitting  him  for  a  business 
career.  His  first  experience  was  as  a  correspondent  for  A.  T,  Stewart  &  Co. , 
and  there  he  derived  the  benefit  of  the  strict  training  which  everj'body  received 
who  entered  Stewart's  emploj'.  Later  he  became  assistant  bookkeeper  for  the 
Broadway  dry  goods  firm  of  J.  &  C.  Johnston,  in  whose  establishment  he 
gradually  worked  his  way  up  until  he  became  its  general  financial  manager. 
When  they  retired  from  business  in  1888,  he  established  himself  as  a  public 
accountant,  and  eventually  received  a  diploma  from  the  State  Board  of  Eegents 
as  a  Certified  Public  Accountant.  His  skill  in  disentangling  and  simplifying 
complicated  accounts  has  been  exemplified  notably  in  straightening  out  the 
affairs  of  the  Madison  Square  Bank,  the  Murray  Hill  Bank,  and  E.  S.  Jaffray 
&  Co.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  introducing  new  and  improved  methods  of 
keeping  accounts,  with  a  view  to  making  clear  and  prompt  reports  possible, 
and  has  been  engaged  by  many  large  corporations  and  business  houses 
throughout  the  country.  His  methods  are  now  in  use  in  almost  every  large 
city  of  the  Union.  He  has  also  made  many  examinations  and  reports  for  the 
Fourth  National  Bank,  the  Fifth  Avenue  and  the  Franklin  Savings  Bank. 
In  the  examinations  of  municipal  accounts  preliminary  to  the  Consolidation 
of  the  Greater  New  York  he  was  appointed  by  the  Comptroller  expert  account- 
ant to  investigate  the  accounts  of  the  Borough  of  Kichmond.  Mr.  Eyan  mar- 
ried in  1889  Mary  Frances  Jennings,  of  New  York  City,  and  has  a  family 
of  three  children. 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  Neio  York.  361 


Arthur  W.  Smith,  CP. A.,  developed  his  taste  for  mathematics  and  the 
affairs  of  practical  business  at  an  early  age.  Beginning  his  business  career 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  soon  acquired  an  insight  into  business  methods  and 
a  varied  experience  in  the  financial  world  which  seldom  falls  to  any  one  busi- 
ness man.  Mr.  Smith  located  for  a  while  in  Chicago,  where  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Messrs.  Ernest  and  Charles  Eeckitt,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Smith,  Eeckitt  &  Co.  These  gentlemen  had  large  connections  with  the  old 
world,  being  sons  of  the  ancient  English  house  known  in  the  commercial 
world  as  " Eeckitt' s  Blue."  Later  they  extended  their  business  to  the  East- 
ern States,  and  formed  a  partnership  in  1894  with  Andrew  A.  Clarke,  a  well- 
known  New  York  accountant,  and  formed  the  present  firm  of  Smith,  Eeckitt, 
Clarke  &  Co.  In  the  pursuit  of  his  professional  duties,  Mr.  Smith  has 
visited  almost  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  it  is  his  custom  to  travel  upward 
of  40,000  miles  a  year,  covering  this  country  and  parts  of  Europe.  He  is 
therefore  one  of  the  best  known  accountants,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  in 
the  world.  He  has  remarkable  ability,  which  seems  almost  instinctive,  in 
tracing  defalcations  and  the  wrongdoings  of  cashiers  and  bookkeepers.  Some 
of  the  largest  railroad,  insurance  and  bank  investigations  have  been  conducted 
by  Mr.  Smith,  as  well  as  municipal,  manufacturing  and  other  examinations. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  accounts  represented  by  patrons  of  his  firm  aggre- 
gate upward  of  $200, 000, 000.  As  evidence  of  Mr.  Smith's  prominence  and 
standing  should  be  mentioned  that  he  was  elected  the  first  President  of  the 
National  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants  in  the  United  States. 

Charles  Crawford  Stevenson,  son  of  Charles  Stevenson  and  Sarah  Forbes, 
is  descended  from  good  old  Virginia,  stock  of  English  origin.  He  was  bom 
in  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  received  his  education  in  private  schools.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  a  prominent  shijiping  and  commission  house 
in  his  native  city,  and  early  displayed  a  remarkable  faculty  for  the  intricacies 
of  bookkeeping  and  accounts,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  was  placed  in  full 
charge  of  the  office  management.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  resigned  in 
order  to  occupy  a  more  important  position  as  financial  manager  of  a  Baltimore 
house,  where  his  talents  had  a  wider  range,  and  where  he  added  a  general 
business  experience  to  that  of  an  accountant.  His  business  relations  with  this 
concern  brought  him  in  contact  with  Johns  Hopkins,  the  founder  of  the  cele- 
brated university  that  bears  his  name,  and  other  leading  financiers  of  that 
period.  In  the  fall  of  1860,  when  the  political  situation  caused  anxiety,  the 
house  with  which  he  was  connected,  and  whose  interests  in  the  South  were 
extensive,  selected  him  to  proceed  to  that  section  and  take  charge  of  theiy 
business  there.  He  remained  away  until  the  following  summer,  returning 
with  a  good  account  of  his  stewardship,  having  closed  his  misson  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  his  employers.  In  1863  he  came  to  New  York,  and  after  en- 
gaging in  mercantile  enterprises,  established  himself  as  a  public  accountant, 
in  which  field  he  has  gained  excellent  repute  and  a  marked  degree  of  success. 


362 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


His  practice  has  been  general,  but  lie  has  shown  a  peculiar  forte  for  munic- 
ipal, surrogate,  corporation  and  estate  work.  His  examinations  and  reports 
invariably  render  satisfaction,  which  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  he  never 
employs  an  assistant,  but  depends  solely  upon  his  own  abilities  in  all  matters 
intrusted  to  his  care.  Among  the  many  important  instances  in  which  his 
professional  services  have  been  engaged  may  be  mentioned :  the  examination 
of  the  Financial  Department  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  in  1879  and  1880.  Mr. 
Stevenson  was  appointed  by  the  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Jersey 
to  perform  the  difficult  task  of  ascertaining  the  exact  condition  of  that  depart- 
ment, and  his  work  received  such  high  public  commendation  that  he  was 
appointed  City  Treasurer  by  Mayor  Peter  Bonnett,  and  gave  an  efficient 
administration  of  the  office.  He  was  selected  by  the  publishing  firm  of  A. 
S.  Barnes  &  Co.  to  determine  the  interest  of  the  late  A.  S.  Barnes  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  involved  many  matters  of  judgment  and  required 
skill  in  adjusting.  One  of  the  heirs  objected  to  Mr.  Stevenson's  report,  but 
Judge  Barrett,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  fully  sustained  it.  Mr.  Stevenson  has 
a  family,  and  resides  in  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

F.  A.  Wiggins,  one  of  the  best-known  members  of  the  profession  of  public 
accountants,  was  born  in  England,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  the  office 
of  his  father,  who  was  already  a  public  accountant  of  considerablo  eminence. 
The  careful  training  which  Mr.  Wiggins  received  was  the  foundation  of  his 
future  success.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  was  appointed  chief  accountant 
in  London  to  the  Queen  Insurance  Company.  Later  he  was  especially  em- 
ployed by  the  Albert  Life  Insurance  Company  to  go  to  Calcutta,  India.  Upon 
his  return  to  London  he  was  employed  by  English  capitalists  to  proceed  to 
Hungary  and  investigate,  recognize,  and  control  the  construction  accounts  of 
the  East  Hungarian  Eailway.  This  was  an  undertaking  of  great  magnitude. 
Over  800  clerks  were  employed,  and  there  were  30,000  names  upon  the  pay 
roll.  Mr.  Wiggins  was  one  of  the  earliest  Fellows  of  the  Institute  of  Chartered 
Accountants  in  England  and  Wales.  He  acquired  a  wide  reputation,  and 
participated  as  an  expert  in  many  of  the  most  famous  cases  and  investigations 
in  London.  Gratifying  financial  success  enabled  Mr.  Wiggins  to  retire  early 
from  active  business,  and  after  some  years  of  comparative  rest,  losses  by 
investment  led  him  to  return  to  active  business,  and  he  decided  to  try  his 
calling  in  the  larger  and  less-occupied  field  of  America.  The  wisdom  of  this 
decision  was  speedily  proved,  for  he  met  with  instant  success,  and  his  busi- 
ness has  steadily  increased  to  large  and  lucrative  proportions.  While  Mr. 
Wiggins'  general  business  is  large,  his  specialty  is  corporation  work,  dis- 
puted estates,  partnerships  and  special  claims.  His  system  is  considered  so 
valuable  that  many  bankers,  lawyers,  and  men  of  fortune  have  placed  their 
sons  under  Mr.  Wiggins'  instruction  to  acquire  the  proper  knowledge  for 
conducting  wisely  their  large  inheritances.  He  also  prepares  students  of 
accountancy  for  their  professional  examination  and  the  degree  of  C.P.A. 


A.  W.  SMITH. 


F.  A.  WIGGINS. 


I 


Certified  Public  Accountants  of  New  York. 


365 


James  Yalden,  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Yalden,  Walker  &  Co. ,  profes- 
sional accountants,  was  born  in  England  in  1842,  and  removed  to  New  York 
over  twenty  years  ago.  Before  that,  however,  Mr.  Yalden's  profession  had 
been  acquired  in  London  and  his  reputation  established  amid  the  exciting 
times  in  the  English  metropolis  following  the  panic  of  '66.  In  this  country 
Mr.  Yalden's  success  in  his  profession  was  immediate  and  marked.  He  now 
stands  among  the  foremost  in  his  calling.  The  uniform  system  of  bookkeep- 
ing employed  in  Presidential  post  offices  was  established  by  Mr.  Yalden  under 
the  direction  of  a  Congressional  Committee.  The  suggestions  he  then  made 
have  been  utilized  in  many  other  departments  of  the  Government.  A  list  of 
Mr.  Yalden's  public  employments  is  too  long  to  be  included  in  this  sketch. 
Among  them  may  bo  mentioned  an  investigation  of  the  Comptroller's  office  at 
Newark,  N.  J.,  in  '82;  the  financial  affairs  of  Bayonne,  N.  J.,  in  '84;  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  '84;  New  York  City,  '85;  Senatorial  investigation  of  the 
Gas  Companies  in  1885  and  1886,  of  Jersey  City,  1887;  Essex  County,  New 
Jersey,  in  '90;  Post  office,  1890,  City  of  Detroit,  '92  and  '95,  and  investi- 
gations for  many  legislative  committees,  notably  the  examination  of  the  New 
York  Gas  Companies,  preliminary  to  the  reduction  of  price  of  gas  to  $1.25 
per  1,000  feet.  In  1892  Mr.  Yalden  was  selected  by  Comptroller  Fitch  to 
investigate  the  affairs  of  that  part  of  Queens  annexed  to  New  York  under  the 
new  Charter.  Among  the  great  number  of  customers  of  the  present  firm  are 
many  prominent  banks,  corporations  and  private  firms.  Mr.  Yalden  is  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  deeply  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  his  adopted 
country.  He  is  a  man  of  method,  judicial  fairness,  and  remarkable  analytical 
ability.  His  standing  and  popularity  are  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
the  first  President  of  the  American  Association  of  Public  Accountants,  He 
is  a  man  of  agreeable  manners,  wide  influence  and  many  friends.  Among  the 
social  organizations  to  which  he  belongs  should  be  mentioned  the  Manhattan 
Club,  Colonial  Club,  Megantic  Club,  and  North  Woods  Club. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  MEDICINE  IN  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  THE  RISE 
OF  THE  NEW  SCHOOL. 

BY  WILLIAM  S.   SEARLE,  A.M.,  M.D. 

i   SURVEY  of  the  field  of  professional  life  in  New  York  City  reveals  no 


feature  wliich  adds  more  conspicuously  to  her  glory  than  the  emi- 


nence and  distinction  of  her  medical  profession.  In  this  respect,  as  in 
many  others,  she  is  the  highest  exponent  and  representative  of  American 
intellectual  progress.  The  rapidity  of  our  professional  advancement  becomes 
very  apparent  when  a  comparison  is  made  between  American  universities  and 
colleges  and  those  of  Europe  with  which  they  so  soon  have  reached  an 
equality.  The  time  was,  not  very  long  ago,  when  there  was  a  distinct  supe- 
riority of  Euroi^ean  professional  attainment ;  but  the  material  progress  of  the 
world,  which  has  afforded  the  facilities  for  fluent  intercommunication  between 
the  hemispheres,  has  been  accompanied  by  an  osmose  of  intelligence  which 
not  only  has  raised  our  standards  to  those  of  the  old  world,  but  is  even  im- 
parting to  intellectual  activities  abroad  a  stimulus  which  they  never  before 
have  experienced. 

From  perfectly  natural  causes,  the  arts  and  sciences  have  been  late-bloom- 
ing flowers  in  this  new  world.  In  every  newly  settled  region,  the  energies 
of  the  people  are  first  applied  to  the  subjection  of  the  physical  asperities  of 
nature  and  next  to  the  acquisition  of  a  certain  degree  of  wealth  and  leisure 
which  afford  the  resources  and  time  for  the  patronage  and  cultivation  of  the 
higher  secular  callings.  The  closing  century  has  witnessed  the  development 
of  this  latter  and  higher  stage  of  American  life  to  a  remarkable  degree,  and 
conspicuous  in  it  has  been  the  development  of  medical  science,  of  which  New 
York  City  may  safely  be  said  to  be  the  center. 

The  beginnings  of  medicine  in  New  York  City  were  very  humble,  and 
suggest  the  curiously  paradoxical  order  in  which  invention  and  discovery 
progress.  "When  Peter  Minuit  landed  at  Manhattan  Island  in  1626,  the  little 
colony  knew  more  about  the  satellites  of  Jupiter  than  about  the  circulation  of 
the  blood,  and  yet  it  would  have  been  natural  to  expect  a  reversal  of  the 
order,  and  that  the  physical  phenomena  of  man's  own  body  would  have 
engaged  his  attention  before  those  of  bodies  celestial.  Howbeit,  our  pioneer 
ancestors,  who  were  able  to  navigate  the  vast  ocean  with  great  precision, 
knew  very  little  about  their  own  corporal  care. 

It  is  practically  impossible  to  identify  the  first  physician  of  New  Amster- 
dam as,  in  a  preceding  chapter,  we  have  been  able  to  pick  out  the  first  law- 


Early  Medical  History  of  New  York. 


367 


yer.  This  is  possibly  due  to  the  fact  that  the  physician  of  that  period,  more 
nearly  than  the  contemporary  lawyer,  lost  his  professional  identity  in  the 
other  callings  which  shared  his  attention.  Harman  Myndertz  van  den  Bogart, 
surgeon  of  the  ship  Eendraght,  who  arrived  May  24,  1630,  and  William 
Deeping,  surgeon  of  the  ship  William,  of  London,  were  apparently  but 
birds  of  passage,  whose  fossilized  footprints  are  found  in  the  historical  strata 
of  the  Dutch  period.  The  first  physician  of  any  prominence  was  Alexander 
C.  Curtius,  who  appeared  in  1664,  and  divided  his  time  between  teaching 
school  and  practicing  the  medical  art.  Dominie  Megapolensis  of  that  period, 
who  had  studied  both  medicine  and  theology  at  Utrecht,  also  addressed  him- 
self to  the  cure  of  bodies,  at  the  same  time  that  he  looked  after  the  welfare  of 
the  souls  of  his  flock.  Another  of  the  early  worthies  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion was  Hans  Kierstede,  who  came  to  New  Amsterdam  in  1638,  and  who  left 
to  his  descendants  not  only  the  fragrance  of  a  life  fruitful  of  good  works,  but 
the  secret  recipe  for  the  "Kierstede  ointment,"  which  may  be  purchased  to 
this  day  in  a  Broadway  drug  store. 

The  methods  of  medical  procedure  for  many  years  were  of  an  extremely 
primitive  and  elementary  character.  Herbs,  prepared  according  to  family 
recipes,  and  neighborly  counsel  sufficed  for  the  ordinary  requirements  of 
domestic  life;  and  in  emergencies,  dependence  was  had  on  such  professional 
skill  as  was  obtainable.  Physicians  were  popularly  regarded  as  a  luxury, 
only  to  be  consulted  as  a  last  resort  after  domestic  expedients  had  failed,  and 
as  a  consequence,  the  proportion  of  recoveries  under  professional  treatment 
was  not  great  enough  to  inspire  the  unreserved  confidence  of  the  people. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  signs  of  improvement  appeared 
in  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  students  to  devote  more  exclusive  attention  to 
medicine  as  a  science,  and  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  patronize  and  recognize 
the  profession.  Nevertheless,  the  methods  of  instruction  and  practice  were  still 
cjude.  Some  of  the  more  ambitious  betook  themselves  to  Europe  for  higher 
study,  but  the  great  majority  of  domestic  physicians  were  either  self-taught 
or  instructed  as  indentured  apprentices  of  neighboring  physicians.  It  was 
an  age  of  medical  pedantry  and  set  formulas,  of  drastic  doses  and  irrelevant 
bleeding,  cupping,  blistering  and  purging,  and  of  other  doctrines  and  methods 
which  seem  barbarous  in  comparison  with  those  of  to-day.  At  the  same 
time,  alert  minds  were  turning  to  the  investigation  of  the  laws  of  causation, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  century  we  find  the  versatile  Cadwallader  Golden, 
statesman,  naturalist  and  sanitarian,  discussing  such  subjects  as  "sore  throat 
distemper,"  "cancer,"  and  "yellow  fever."  The  yellow-fever  epidemic  in 
New  York  City  in  1741-42  directed  more  than  one  mind  to  the  investigation 
of  contagious  diseases,  and  the  stimulus  which  it  gave  to  scientific  inquiry  was 
one  of  the  beneficent  mitigations  of  its  evils.  Toward  the  end  of  the  century, 
the  medical  profession  shared  with  the  people  in  general  the  reaction  which 
set  in  when  the  tension  of  the  Kevolutionary  War  was  relaxed.    The  profes- 


368 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


sion  was  not  numerous — only  twenty-five  physicians  are  mentioned  in  the 
first  city  directory  of  1786 — but  there  was  a  marked  accession  of  scientific 
zeal  and  a  greater  display  of  originality  of  thought  and  freedom  of  investiga- 
tion, which  augured  well  for  the  coming  century.  George  Christian  Axithon, 
who  came  to  New  York  in  1784,  and  became  the  progenitor  of  a  family  of  not- 
able attainments,  and  who  was  an  authority  on  yellow  fever,  was  a  conspicious 
illustration  of  intellectual  ability  directed  toward  the  solution  of  the  deeper 
problems  of  that  period. 

The  nineteenth  century  opened  auspiciously.  Through  the  increased  facil- 
ities for  anatomical  study  the  practitioner  was  tearing  out  the  hidden  secrets 
of  the  human  body  one  by  one,  and  familiarizing  himself  with  those  internal 
workings  which  had  remained  hidden  from  the  eye  of  man  since  his  creation. 
Pathology  was  pursued  more  eagerly ;  greater  attention  was  given  to  the 
analysis  of  observed  results ;  and  inductive  logic  was  applied  with  a  scientific 
skill  never  before  equaled.  The  result  was  a  freer  resort  to  hygiene  and  san- 
itation, the  adoption  of  greatly  simplified  and  mollified  treatment,  and  a  much 
feebler  reliance  on  drugs. 

"With  the  beginning  of  the  second  quarter  of  the  century,  exactly  200  years 
after  the  settlement  of  Manhattan  Island  by  the  Dutch,  the  medical  history  of 
the  City  divides  into  two  currents,  so  distinct  that  we  are  constrained  by  ne- 
cessity to  take  up  but  one  at  this  time;  and  as  a  knowledge  of  the  development 
of  homeopathy  is  essential  to  the  understanding  of  the  progress  of  the  old 
school  during  the  past  seventy  years,  we  shall  devote  our  attention  first  to 
that  branch  of  the  subject  and  leave  to  a  future  volume  the  consideration  of 
the  other. 

New  York  City  was  the  doorway  through  which  homeopathy  was  intro- 
duced to  America  in  1825.  In  that  year,  came  to  this  City  Hans  Birch  Gram, 
the  grandson  of  a  Danish  sea  captain  and  the  son  of  Hans  Gram,  sometime 
private  secretary  to  the  Governor  of  Santa  Cruz.  The  latter  married  a  lady 
from  Boston,  Mass.,  where  Hans  Birch  Gram  was  born.  The  son  went  to 
Denmark,  where  he  became  eminent  as  a  physician,  and  acquired  a  compe- 
tency. In  1823  and  1824  he  fully  tested  the  theories  of  Hahnemann  upon 
himself,  and,  convinced  of  their  truth,  came  to  New  York  to  practice  them. 
In  1826  he  was  the  only  homeopathic  physician  in  America,  and  a  small 
pamphlet  which  contained  his  infelicitous  translation  of  Hahnemann's  "Spirit 
of  Homeopathy, "  constituted  the  entire  homeopathic  literature  of  that  year. 
The  new  doctrines  instantly  aroused  the  intense  antagonism  of  other  practi- 
tioners, and  were  viewed  askance  by  the  people  generally,  who  had  become 
so  accustomed  to  heroic  doses  that  they  had  little  faith  in  the  saving  grace  of 
homeopathic  quantities.  Many  of  Gram's  professional  friends  became  bitter 
and  vindictive  enemies,  and  by  them  he  was  persecuted  until  the  day  of  his 
death,  February  18,  1840.    He  was  a  man  of  gigantic  intellect,  coupled  with 


The  Beginnings  of  Homeopathy. 


369 


the  modesty,  sincerity  and  simplicity  of  a  child,  and  before  he  passed  away 
had  sown  the  seed  which  has  produced  a  mighty  harvest. 

The  truth  of  the  story  of  homeopathy  in  New  York  City  reads  more 
strangely  than  the  fairy  tales  of  fiction.  One  by  one  converts  were  made  by 
the  demonstrated  success  of  the  system  in  the  face  of  the  most  virulent  skep- 
ticism and  opposition.  Dr.  Eobert  B.  Folger,  a  fellow  Mason,  was  Gram's 
first  convert  in  America,  and  embraced  the  new  law  in  1827 ;  but  as  he  aban- 
doned medical  practice  a  few  months  later,  the  honor  of  being  Gram's  first 
disciple  to  put  the  new  doctrine  into  continued  practice  belongs  to  Dr.  John 
F.  Gray,  who,  like  Folger,  had  previously  ridiculed  homeopathy,  and  who 
had  even  hesitated  to  take  Gram's  hand  when  introduced  to  him.  The  mid- 
night walk  of  Gray  with  Gram,  and  Gray's  subsequent  espousal  of  homeo- 
pathy reads  more  like  an  episode  from  Bible  history  than  an  incident  in 
secular  annals.  Dr.  Gray  had  been  a  pupil  of  a  distinguished  old  school 
physician.  Dr.  David  Hosack,  and  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice;  but 
upon  taking  up  homeopathy  he  lost  his  former  patrons  one  by  one,  until  he 
had  not  sufficient  practice  for  self-support.  This  struggling  period  had  its 
advantages  however.  It  produced  cohesion  among  the  little  band  of  pioneers, 
and  their  enforced  leisure  gave  them  ample  opportunity  to  study  more  deeply 
the  language  and  literature  of  homeopathy,  and  prove  more  extensively  the 
new  materia  medica.  Dr.  Gray  was  a  man  of  scholarly  attainments  and  win- 
ning personal  traits,  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  attaining  success,  friends 
and  wealth,  and  being  loved  and  honored  as  one  of  the  fathers  of  his  profes- 
sion. In  1829  Dr.  Abraham  D.  Wilson,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Dr. 
Gray's,  and  who  enjoyed  the  largest  clientage  in  the  City  at  that  time,  was 
won  over  to  the  homeopathic  communion.  He  was  not  an  adventurer  or  an 
innovator,  but  a  conservative  man  of  ripe  culture,  high  professional  standing 
and  felicitous  social  status,  with  nothing  to  gain  in  a  worldly  way  by  taking 
"up  novelties,  and  with  no  reason  for  such  a  radical  change  other  than  a  pro- 
found conviction,  reached  after  a  deliberate  and  uninfluenced  investigation. 
Bitter  pangs  were  in  store  for  him.  Friends  and  patrons  deserted  him,  and 
within  two  years  he  had  lost  every  former  source  of  support  except  a  single 
family ;  but  before  he  died  in  ISG-l,  he  had  seen  the  justification  of  his  sacri- 
fice in  the  uplifting  of  the  profession  by  his  subsequent  distinguished  career. 
Dr.  Daniel  E.  Stearns,  who  came  to  New  York  from  Vermont  in  1827,  com- 
menced to  practice  homeopathy  in  1829,  but  removed  to  Tremont,  N.  Y.,  in 
1833.  The  next  notable  accession  was  Dr.  Amos  Gerald  Hull,  the  "first 
student  of  homeopathy"  so-called.  He  graduated  from  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  1826,  and  entered  Kutgers  Medical  College,  New  York, 
in  1828,  at  the  same  time  receiving  daily  instruction  from  Dr.  Gram.  In 
1832  he  graduated  from  Kutgers,  and  began  to  practice  homeopathy  in  1833. 
He  was  the  first  student  who  underwent  the  public  and  recorded  examination 


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of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  New  York.  Dr.  Hull  died  in  1859 
after  a  successful  career. 

The  conversion  of  Dr.  William  Channing,  another  cultured  physician  of  the 
old  school,  about  this  time,  marked  an  era  in  the  history  of  homeopathy. 
In  1832,  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  cholera,  he  made  a  public  trial  of  camphor, 
veratrum  and  cuprum  as  prescribed  by  Hahnemann,  with  such  success  that  he 
soon  avowed  his  entire  change  of  practice,  and  was  the  first  physician  to 
believe  in  the  all-sufficiency  of  the  homeopathic  principle.  Channing's 
change  aroused  the  regular  profession  as  it  had  not  been  aroused  before,  and 
the  increasing  favor  of  homeopathy  demonstrated  that  it  was  not  a  system  to 
be  regarded  any  longer  with  the  comparative  indifference  which  the  old  school 
physician  had  bestowed  upon  it  in  the  past.  Channing,  who  died  in  1855, 
and  Gram,  Hull,  Wilson  and  Gray  were  the  pillars  upon  which  homeopathy 
in  New  York  has  been  raised,  "Without  these  men  and  their  benefactive 
lives,"  said  Dr.  Gray  in  1865,  modestly  speaking  of  all  but  himself,  "and 
without  the  societies  and  movements  inaugurated  in  the  first  or  latent  epoch 
here — which  in  1840  culminated  in  the  appearance  of  the  'Homeopathic  Ex- 
aminer' by  Hull  and  in  the  Society,  partly  lay  and  partly  professional,  of 
which  our  William  Cullen  Bryant  was  President — the  later  and  more  efficacious 
means  of  success  would  not  have  been  in  the  hands  of  the  profession  to-day. ' ' 

The  founding  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy  in  1843  by  Dr. 
Gray's  efforts,  the  incorporation  of  County  and  State  Societies,  and  the  found- 
ing of  infirmaries  and  dispensaries  ensued  in  succession,  and  the  new  school 
advanced  rapidly,  not,  however,  on  account  of  any  relaxation  of  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  old  school  physicians,  which,  on  the  contrary,  was  firmer  and  more 
determined  than  ever,  but  because  homeopathy  appealed  to  the  people,  who 
were  recognizing  that  they  could  be  more  quickly  and  comfortably  cured  under 
the  new  system  than  by  the  prevailing  methods.  Other  notable  physicians  of 
that  first  half  century  of  homeopathy  in  New  York  were  Doctors  Joseph 
Thomas  Curtis,  John  Granger,  Benjamin  C.  Dutcher,  Stephen  E.  Kirby, 
Federal  Vanderburgh,  Alonzo  S.  Ball,  Benjamin  Franklin  Bowers,  Alfred 
Freeman,  Zenia  Harris,  Henry  Gale  Dunnell,  Eichard  M.  Bolles,  Walter  C. 
Palmer,  Samuel  Bancroft  Barlow,  John  A.  McVicar,  B.  F.  Joslin,  and  George 
E.  Belcher. 

Coming  down  to  the  present  generation  of  physicians,  the  leaders  of  home- 
opathy to-day  are,  with  few  exceptions,  so  intimately  identified  with  the 
medical  institutions  of  the  City  that  to  mention  the  latter  is  to  mention  the 
former. 

The  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital  was  incorporated  April  21,  1852.  It 
will  accommodate  about  sixty  patients,  and  treats  all  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear 
and  throat  gratuitously  for  the  poor,  in  both  the  hospital  and  dispensary. 
There  are  ten  free  beds.  Patients  who  are  able  to  pay  are  charged  $5  a  week 
and  upward.    Dr.  Timothy  F  .Allen,  who,  by  common  consent  of  his  col- 


Homeopathic  Institutions  in  Manhattan. 


371 


leagues,  is  placed  at  the  head  of  the  medical  branch  of  homeopathy  in  the 
Borough  of  Manhattan,  is  President  of  the  Hospital;  George  W.  Clarke, 
Vice-President;  Elias  C.  Benedict,  Treasurer,  and  James  Worrall  Arthur, 
Secretary.  The  Attending  Surgeons  are  Doctors  William  E.  Bounds, 
F.  H.  Boynton,  Charles  Deady,  E.  L.  McBride,  Charles  E.  Boyle,  A.  Wor- 
rall Palmer,  A.  B.  Norton,  C.  S.  Elebash,  C.  H.  Helfrich,  George  A.  Shepard, 
Floyd  P.  Sheldon,  Charles  E.  Teets,  William  S.  Pearsall  and  Irving  Town- 
send.  The  Consulting  Staflf  consists  of  Doctors  T.  F.  Allen,  C.  E.  Beebe, 
J.  McE.  Wetmore,  D.  B.  Hunt  and  J.  T.  O'Connor.  The  Kesident  Surgeon 
is  Dr.  J.  B.  Palmer. 

The  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College  and  Hospital  is  now  in  its 
thirty-ninth  year.  This  institution  includes  the  Flower  Hospital  which  was 
built  and  presented  in  1890  by  the  Hon.  Koswell  P.  Flower,  for  the  double 
purpose  of  relieving  the  suffering  of  the  poor  and  furnishing  clinical  instruc- 
tion in  surgery  to  the  students  of  the  college.  The  officers  of  the  College 
and  Hospital  are  Kufus  B.  Cowing,  President ;  Giles  E.  Taintor,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; Koswell  P.  Flower,  Treasurer;  and  George  W.  Clarke,  Secretary.  The 
Dean  of  the  Faculty  is  Dr.  William  Tod  Helmuth,  who  is  regarded  as  the 
foremost  homeopathic  surgeon  of  Manhattan  Borough.  Dr.  H.  M.  Dearborn 
is  Secretary  and  Dr.  George  G.  Shelton,  Registrar.  The  Flower  Hospital 
receives  medical,  surgical  and  maternity  cases,  charging  $7  to  $10  a  week  for 
ward  patients,  $10  to  $12  a  week  for  private  ward  patients,  and  $15  to  $40  a 
week  for  private  rooms;  but  the  superintendent  may  remit  the  whole  or  any 
part  of  the  charge  in  case  of  needy  patients.  The  Attending  Surgeons  are 
Doctors  William  T.  Helmuth,  Jr.,  and  W.  H.  Bishop;  Consulting  Surgeons, 
Doctors  William  Tod  Helmuth,  F.  E.  Doughty  and  S.  F.  Wilcox ;  Attending 
Physicians,  Doctors  T.  F.  Allen,  St.  Clair  Smith,  G.  G.  Shelton,  J.  W. 
Dowling,  E.  H.  Porter,  C.  S.  Macy,  L.  L.  Danforth  and  Martin  Deschere; 
Consulting  Specialists,  Doctors  F.  H.  Boynton,  J.  T.  O'Connor,  H.  C. 
Houghton,  W.  H.  King  and  H.  M.  Dearborn. 

The  Hahnemann  Hospital,  opened  in  1875,  has  103  beds,  and  receives  both 
free  and  pay  patients.  The  latter  are  charged  from  $7  to  $40  a  Aveek.  The 
Attending  Physicians  are  Doctors  L.  L.  Danforth,  D.  D.  Stevens,  T.  F. 
Smith,  A.  B.  Cossart,  A.  L.  Boot  and  J.  M.  Wetmore ;  Attending  Surgeons, 
Doctors  J.  H.  Thompson,  C.  L.  Bagg,  G.  W.  Eoberts,  E.  G.  Tuttle,  W.  F. 
Homan,  C.  W.  Cornell  and  W.  G.  Fralich ;  and  Resident  Physicians,  Doctors 
T.  W.  Clark  and  J.  E.  Whiteman. 

On  September  10,  1875,  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Charity  Hospital  was 
opened  on  Ward's  Island.  This  is  now  the  Metropolitan  Hospital  on  Black- 
well's  Island,  and  is  one  of  the  three  large  charity  hospitals  of  the  City  of 
New  York.  It  cares  for  all  kinds  of  patients  except  those  having  contagious 
diseases.  Dr.  George  Taylor  Stewart  is  Chief  of  Staff.  The  Visiting  Phy- 
sicians are  Doctors  Egbert  Guernsey,  John  H.  Demarest,  T.  Franklin  Smith, 


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H.  M.  Dearborn,  G.  B.  Durrie,  Arthur  L.  Boot,  John  L.  Daniels,  E.  Guern- 
sey Eankin,  James  E.  TVood,  and  William  F.  Horaan ;  Visiting  Surgeons, 
Doctors  John  H.  Thompson,  Arthur  T.  Hills,  C.  W.  Cornell,  Homer  I.  Os- 
trom,  Clinton  L.  Bagg,  W.  G.  Fralich ;  Specialists,  Doctors  Bukk  G.  Carle- 
ton,  C.  C.  Boyle,  J.  T.  O'Connor,  and  Charles  E.  Teets;  Pathologist,  Dr. 
E.  G.  Ogden,  and  Electrician,  Dr.  F.  M.  Frazer. 

The  Laura  Franklin  Free  Hospital  for  Children,  established  in  1886,  is 
under  the  charge  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Sisters  of  Mary.  It  admits 
children  between  the  ages  of  two  and  twelve  years,  and  has  accommodations 
for  fifty  patients.  Following  is  the  personnel  of  the  medical  and  surgical 
staff :  Attending  Physicians,  Doctors  M.  Deschere,  Irving  Townsend,  W.  L 
Pierce,  J.  W.  Allen,  J.  W.  Dowling,  E.  H.  Porter,  G.  W.  McDowell  and 
L.  A.  Queen;  Attending  Surgeons,  Doctors  S.  F.  Wilcox,  W.  T.  Helmuth, 
Jr.,  and  George  W.  Eoberts;  Consulting  Physicians,  Doctors  T.  F.  Allen 
and  J.  McE.  Wetmore ;  Consulting  Surgeons,  Doctors  William  Tod  Helmuth 
and  F.  E.  Doughty ;  Specialists,  Doctors  H.  C.  Houghton,  A.  B.  Norton, 
J.  T.  O'Connor,  H.  M.  Dearborn,  J.  B.  Garrison  and  C.  E.  Pease;  and 
House  Physician,  Dr.  Fred.  C.  Irwin. 

The  Children's  Hospital  of  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry  is  also 
under  homeopathic  care,  and  there  are  in  different  parts  of  the  Borough  about 
a  dozen  homeopathic  dispensaries,  the  pioneer  of  which  is  the  Western 
Homeopathic  Dispensary,  which  was  organized  May  20,  1868. 

The  Homeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  New  York  was  insti- 
tuted in  1858,  and  has  a  membership  of  about  275.  The  ofiicers  of  the 
Society  are  as  follows:  Dr.  John  B.  Garrison,  President;  Dr.  John  W. 
Dowling,  Vice-President;  Dr.  H.  Worthington  Paige,  Secretary;  Dr. 
Charles  S.  Macy,  Treasurer;  Dr.  J.  Perry  Seward,  Librarian;  and  the  fol- 
lowing Censors :  Doctors  George  W.  McDowell,  George  A.  Shepard,  George 
G.  Shelton,  Irving  Townsend,  and  Edward  G.  Tuttle. 

The  history  of  Homeopathy  in  Brooklyn  dates  from  the  Spring  of  1840, 
when  Eobert  Eosman,  its  disciple,  removed  from  Hudson,  N.  T. ,  and  settled 
in  Brooklyn.  He  had  been  a  practitioner  of  the  old  school,  but  had  aban- 
doned it  for  the  new,  and  soon  built  up  a  large  practice  in  Brooklyn,  which 
flourished  until  his  sudden  death  in  1857.  In  1841  Dr.  George  Cox,  an  Eng- 
lish i)hysician  settled  in  what  was  then  the  village  of  Williamsburgh  and  is 
now  a  portion  of  Brooklyn.  He  died  there  in  1853.  These,  with  David 
Baker,  who  began  practice  here  in  1840,  were  the  pioneers  of  homeopathy 
in  Brooklyn.  In  1843  Dr.  A.  Cooke  Hull  removed  to  Brooklyn  from  New 
York  City  and  became  a  partner  of  Dr.  Eosman.  A  few  months  later.  Dr. 
P.  P,  Wells,  who  hailed  from  Providence,  E.  I.,  became  the  fifth  missionary 
of  the  new  medical  reform. 

Up  to  1850,  the  first  decade,  the  ranks  of  the  medical  heretics  of  this  class 
were  reinforced  by  recruits  to  the  number  of  twenty-five.    In  an  increasing 


Progress  of  Homeopathy  in  Brookhjn. 


373 


ratio,  and  one  far  exceeding  the  growth  of  population,  the  number  of  homeo- 
pathic practitioners  has  steadily  multiplied.  The  second  decade  saw  fifty- 
added  to  the  list,  and  now,  at  the  close  of  the  sixth,  in  spite  of  removals,  the 
new  school  of  medicine  has  over  200  representatives  in  Brooklyn.  Of  the 
twenty-five  embraced  in  the  first  decade,  several  were  especially  noteworthy, 
and,  without  at  all  disparaging  others.  Dr.  A.  Cooke  Hull  and  Dr.  Carroll 
Dunham  may  be  mentioned  as  pre-eminent.  The  ranks  of  the  entire  profes- 
sion of  their  day  afforded  none  who  were  their  superiors.  They  were  gifted 
by  nature ;  they  were  liberally  educated  in  the  broadest  sense ;  and  their 
social  and  professional  standing  was  unexcelled.  As  such  they  gave  a  high 
and  enviable  tone,  not  only  to  their  profession,  but  to  the  society  and  institu- 
tions of  the  cultivated  city  in  which  they  lived. 

The  broadest  and  most  influential  of  these  was  Dr.  A.  Cooke  Hull,  who 
died  in  the  year  1868.  His  early  practice  was  in  New  York  City,  where  he 
was  associated  with  the  celebrated  Dr.  John  Gray.  During  the  twenty- 
five  years  of  his  residence  in  Brooklyn,  he  made  his  presence  felt  in  many 
ways  outside  of  his  profession  as  well  as  largely  within  it.  The  Athenfeum, 
the  Philharmonic  Society,  the  Art  Association,  the  Long  Island  Historical 
Society,  the  Brooklyn  Academy  of  Music,  the  Brooklyn  Club,  all  originated 
in  his  fertile  brain.  The  preliminary  meetings  at  which  these  institutions 
were  organized  were  all  held  in  Dr.  Hull's  office  at  the  corner  of  Clinton  and 
Joralemon  streets.  Dr.  Hull's  chief  recreation  consisted  in  devising  and 
executing  some  public  scheme  of  a  similar  character.  Such  undertakings 
brought  him  into  intimate  relations  with  the  oldest  and  most  influential 
citizens,  and  through  his  strong  personality,  a  high  respect  for  the  system  of 
medicine  to  which  he  adhered  was  so  developed  among  this  class  of  the  com- 
munity as  to  be  felt  even  to-day.  Indeed,  Brooklyn  has  had  few  if  any 
citizens  whose  influence  in  its  social  and  civic  institutions  was  so  wide,  so 
far-reaching  or  so  pregnant,  and  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other  physician, 
both  directly  and  indirectly,  homeopathy  owes  a  boundless  tribute  of  praise. 

Of  Dr.  Carroll  Dunham,  the  most  distinguished  colleague  and  contem- 
porary of  Dr.  Hull,  it  is  equally  difficult  to  speak  in  moderate  terms.  Of 
towering  intellect,  trained  in  the  best  of  foreign  and  domestic  schools,  his 
modest  and  retiring  nature  unfitted  him  to  shine  in  social  or  public  enter- 
prises, as  did  Dr.  Hull,  but  his  powerful  influence  was  chiefly  felt  within  his 
chosen  profession.  As  a  practitioner  and  counselor  he  was  eminent  and 
widely  sought.  As  a  student  he  was  earnest  and  untiring.  As  a  writer  he 
was  clear  and  logical,  with  definite  opinions  for  which  he  could  give  abundant 
and  convincing  reason.  As  a  professor  and  teacher  he  had  the  happiest  and 
most  tactful  methods  of  imparting  knowledge.  As  a  man  he  was  always  and 
everywhere  honest,  straightforward  and  reliable. 

With  such  skirmishers  on  the  outposts  and  such  an  organizer  and  general  in 
the  camp,  one  cannot  wonder  that,  in  those  early  days  when  medical  life  was 


374 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


indeed  a  battle,  homeopathy  won  so  many  and  such  signal  victories.  With 
such  leaders  and  with  followers  by  no  means  unworthy  of  them,  homeopathy 
began  its  march  in  the  homes  and  hearts  of  Brooklyn.  As  has  always  been 
the  case,  the  cultivated  classes  were  its  main  patrons  and  supporters.  But 
these  were  not  content  that  the  benefits  of  the  new  system  should  accrue  to 
them  alone.  Therefore  it  was  that  the  father  of  Dr.  Dunham,  a  wealthy 
and  influential  citizen,  with  others  incorporated  and  established,  in  1853,  a 
homeopathic  dispensary,  which  has  become  the  fruitful  parent  of  a  numerous 
progeny.  Something  of  its  history,  and  of  the  history  of  the  new  school  of 
medicine,  is  read  in  the  following  figures :  In  the  first  year  of  its  existence 
its  ten  attending  physicians  gave  their  services  to  only  304  of  the  sick  poor. 
Forty  years  later,  in  1892,  seventy-five  physicians  in  the  sis  existing  homeo- 
pathic dispensaries  gave  similar  succor  to  over  30,000.  This,  though  exclu- 
sive of  hospital  work,  serves  to  mark  the  growth  of  the  new  school  amongst  the 
lower  classes.  Within  fifteen  years  of  its  inauguration,  the  dispensary  had 
become  one  of  the  finest  and  best  equipped  of  its  class  in  the  country. 

No  history  of  homeopathy  could  properly  omit  an  account  of  Dr.  Albert  E. 
Sumner, who  succeeded  Dr.  A.  Cooke  Hull  as  head  of  the  dispensary.  Young, 
handsome,  energetic,  of  most  engaging  manners,  and  in  every  way  attractive, 
his  social  heirship,  his  easy  circumstances,  and  his  broad  and  high  education 
would  have  led  many  men  into  a  life  of  as  great  self-indulgence  as  is  possible 
to  one  who  has  embraced  so  arduous  and  exacting  a  profession.  Very  far 
from  this  was  the  course  he  chose  and  pursued  with  a  vigor  and  enthusiasm 
which  was  halted  by  no  obstacles  and  discouraged  by  no  opposition.  Nature 
and  education  had  fitted  him  for  a  leader,  and  he  quickly  found  his  place. 
The  contagion  of  his  example  rallied  around  him  his  fellow-trustees  as  well 
as  all  the  younger,  abler  and  more  liberal  of  his  professional  associates.  Some 
there  were  of  the  simon-pure  Hahnemannian  class,  who  not  only  withheld 
their  support,  but  actively  opposed  the  movement.  But  Sumner  was  as  little 
influenced  by  obstruction  from  within  as  from  without.  A  charter  was  soon 
obtained,  funds  raised  and  a  building  purchased.  On  the  3d  of  March, 
1873,  the  first  patient  was  registered,  and  the  hospital  entered  upon  its  benefi- 
cent mission.  Once  established,  there  came  the  problem  of  providing  funds 
sufficient  not  only  for  its  support,  but  for  the  constant  expansion  and  growth 
compelled  by  its  success.  Aid  from  the  City  treasury  was  insufficient  to 
repay  the  institution,  even  for  its  care  of  the  sick  poor,  and  large  and  ever- 
increasing  funds  were  necessary.  Here,  too,  shone  the  genius  of  Dr.  Sumner. 
He  organized  a  large  Ladies' Aid  Association,  and  made  it  "the  fashion. " 
He  organized  an  annual  charity  ball  and  made  that  "the  fashion."  He  or- 
dained an  annual  fair  and  made  that  "the  fashion."  These  major  influences 
he  supplemented  with  many  minor  forces.  Concerts,  reunions,  lectures,  teas, 
and  all  the  direct  and  indirect  powers  of  society  were  made  to  contribute  to 
his  schemes,  until  to  belong  to,  or  patronize,  or  push  money  into  the  treasury 


Homeopathic  Institutions  in  Brooklyn. 


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of  the  homeopathic  hospital  seemed  to  be  the  end  and  aim  of  nearly  all  of 
fashionable  Brooklyn.  So  powerful  and  sweeping  was  the  current,  that  even 
prominent  physicians  of  the  old  school  felt  its  swirl,  and  were  forced  into  the 
support  of  an  institution  they  hated.  Nor  was  Sumner  satisfied  with  one 
charity.  The  Brooklyn  Maternity,  established  by  those  purists  who  had 
opposed  him  and  his  supporters,  after  a  sickly  existence  of  two  years,  came  to 
him  and  them  for  management,  and  without  hesitation  they  took  up  the  double 
burden,  enlarged  and  extended  both,  established  the  first  training  school  for 
nurses  in  the  State  of  New  York,  another  in  the  hospital,  and,  in  short,  gave 
both  institutions  a  foremost  place  among  the  charities  of  the  City  and  State. 
The  sudden  and  untimely  death  of  this  great  and  gifted  organizer  and  man  was 
a  blow  to  homeopathy  under  which  it  still  staggers.  Upon  no  Elisha  has  the 
complete  mantle  of  this  Elijah  fallen,  and  men  of  ordinary  capacities  have 
been  compelled  to  carry  burdens,  heavy  to  them,  but  which,  to  the  genius  of 
Albert  E.  Sumner,  were  light.  Both  time  and  space  would  fail  should  we 
attempt  to  enumerate  many  others  who  in  one  or  another  way  have  adorned 
the  ranks  of  homeopathy,  and  helped  to  make  its  history  memorable.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  all  have  contributed  in  their  various  spheres  to  the  gradual  and 
uniform  progress  of  the  new  school  of  medicine.  What  all  by  united  effort 
and  influence  have  attained  may  best  be  evidenced  by  the  following  list  of 
institutions,  the  early  history  of  one  of  which  we  have  already  outlined. 

The  Brooklyn  Homeopathic  Hospital,  founded  in  1871,  is  supported  by 
voluntary  contributions,  the  pay  of  patients  and  excise  money.  It  has  about 
150  beds.  The  private  rooms  cost  from  $15  to  $35  a  week.  Any  homeop- 
athist  of  Brooklyn  of  good  standing  can  attend  his  own  patients  in  these 
rooms  subject  to  the  rules  of  the  Hospital.  The  Hospital  has  a  Training 
School  for  Nurses  and  Dispensary  attached.  During  the  year  1896,  1,308 
patients  were  treated  in  the  Hospital  and  13,242  in  the  Dispensary.  In  the 
latter  30,322  prescriptions  were  furnished.  The  Hospital  is  in  progress  of 
reorganization  at  the  time  of  the  publication  of  this  work,  but  the  names  of  its 
officers  and  staff  thus  far  selected  are  as  follows :  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  vacant;  Vice-President,  Norman  S.  Dyke;  Secretary,  Frank  W. 
Arnold;  Treasurer,  William  B.  Cromwell;  Chief  of  Medical  and  Surgical 
Staff,  Dr.  Daniel  Simmons;  Secretary  of  Staff,  Dr.  Alton  G.  Warner;  Treas- 
urer of  Staff,  Dr.  J.  Freeman  Atwood ;  Surgeons,  Doctors  W.  W.  Blackman, 
Clark  Burnham,  W.  H.  Pierson,  N.  Eobinson,  Charles  L.  Bonnell,  George 
C.  Jeffery,  and  O.  S.  Ritch;  Physicians,  Doctors  J.  Freeman  Atwood,  C.  L. 
Johnston,  W.  C.  Latimer,  H.  J.  Pierron,  W.  S.  Searle,  E.  K.  Valentine, 
Edward  Chapin,  J.  Lester  Keep,  Edwin  Miner,  W.  S.  Eink,  Daniel  Simmons 
and  W.  B.  Winchell;  Specialists,  Doctors  J.  L.  Moffat,  H.  D.  Schenck, 
Alton  G.  Warner  and  William  M.  Butler ;  Oral  Surgeon  and  Electrician,  Dr. 
F.  F.  Van  Woert. 

The  Brooklyn  Homeopathic  Maternity  and  State  School  for  Training 


376 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Nurses  was  incorporated  July  25,  1871.  It  has  a  capacity  of  eighty  beds, 
and  has  a  fine  new  building.  Something  of  the  progress  of  this  institution 
has  been  indicated  in  the  preceding  pages.  When  projected,  the  Maternity 
was  unique,  in  that  it  sought  to  restrain  the  fallen  as  well  as  to  render  them 
aid  in  their  distress.  The  salient  feature  of  the  Hospital  is  its  aim  to  elevate 
the  character  of  the  patient  while  alleviating  her  suffering.  Active  in  the 
Maternity  work,  and  in  the  establishment  of  the  Training  School,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made,  were  Mrs.  Henry  W.  Sage,  Mrs.  Tobias 
New,  Mrs.  E.  C.  Moffatt,  Mrs.  R.  A.  Shaw,  and  the  late  Mrs.  M.  M.  Voor- 
hies,  who  rendered  invaluable  assistance  to  the  late  Doctors  Sumner  and 
Varona.  The  present  officers  of  the  Maternity  are  Mrs.  Eobert  Shaw,  Presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  William  B.  Pierson  and  Mrs.  Sidney  Starbuck,  Vice-Presidents ; 
Mrs.  Jerome  Allen,  Recording  Secretary ;  Mrs.  George  F.  Demarest,  Corres- 
ponding Secretary ;  Mrs.  Frederic  M.  Krugler,  Treasurer ;  and  Mrs.  James 
E.  Hills,  Chairman  of  Training  School  Committee;  Medical  Director,  Dr. 
Edward  W.  Avery ;  Attending  Staff,  Doctors  George  H.  Doty,  B.  L.  Hough- 
ton, C.  L.  Johnston,  W.  S.  Eink,  B.  W  Bierbaur,  H.  D.  Schenck,  J.  B. 
Given,  Magnus  T.  Hopper,  and  F.  E.  Eisley ;  Consulting  Surgeon,  Dr.  N. 
Eobinson. 

The  Memorial  Hospital  for  Women  and  Children  was  incorporated  April 
6,  1883,  and  has  a  capacity  of  100  beds.  A  Training  School  for  Nurses, 
incorporated  in  January,  1891,  and  a  Dispensary,  incorporated  in  January, 
1894,  are  conducted  in  connection  with  the  Hospital.  The  Institution  receives 
both  free  and  pay  patients,  charging  for  the  latter  the  weekly  rates  of  $5  in 
the  general  wards,  $7  to  $10  in  the  private  wards,  $15  to  $30  in  the  private 
rooms,  and  special  rates  for  maternity  cases.  There  is  a  Board  of  fifty-eight 
managers,  composed  of  leading  women  of  various  denominations,  the  oflScers 
of  which  are  as  follows :  President,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Burtis ;  First  Vice-President, 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Marcellus;  Second  Vice-President,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Jarvis;  Third 
Vice-President,  Mrs.  Calvin  E.  Hull;  Eecording  Secretary,  Miss  A.  K. 
Mirrielees;  Corresponding  Secretary,  Mrs.  A.  H.  Tifft;  Treasurer,  Mrs. 
C.  C.  Martin;  and  Treasurer  of  Building  Fund,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Burtis.  The 
Hospital  Staff  is  composed  of  Doctors  Jennie  V-H.  Baker  (President) ; 
Lottie  A.  Cort  (Secretary) ;  M.  Belle  Brown,  Georgia  A.  Cassidy,  M.  Eliza- 
beth Clark,  Theodosia  Hobby,  Mary  L.  Lines,  Ella  M.  Martin,  Catherine  S. 
Martineau,  May  W.  Straley  and  Annis  B.  Van  Arnam,  There  is  a  Consult- 
ing Staff  of  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Brooklyn  and  Manhattan,  consisting 
of  Doctors  Charles  L.  Bonnell,  Edmund  Carleton,  William  M.  L.  Fiske, 
George  C.  Jeffery,  Sidney  F.  Wilcox,  Harrison  Willis,  Timothy  F.  Allen, 
William  M.  Butler,  Frank  E.  Caldwell,  Alice  B.  Campbell,  H.  M.  Dearborn, 
and  Phoebe  J.  Waite ;  and  an  Auxiliary  Staff  composed  of  Doctors  Emma 
T.  P.  Allen,  Eebecca  J.  Ayres,  Mary  Fish-Fleckles,  C.  E.  Smith,  M.  Louise 
Turton  and  Amelia  D.  F.  Von  Der  Luhe.    The  Eesident  Physician  is  Dr. 


Homeopathic  Institutions  in  Brooklyn.  377 


Laura  F.  Foxilds.  The  officers  of  the  Memorial  Training  School  for  Nurses 
are :  President,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Jarvis ;  Vice-President,  Mrs.  Jere  Johnson,  Jr.  ; 
Secretary,  Miss  I.  H.  Ovington ;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  C.  C.  Martin ;  Managers, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Burtis,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Kidsdale,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Marcellus,  Dr.  A.  B.  Van 
Amam,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Buck,  Mrs.  A.  W.  Pollard,  Dr.  G.  A.  Cassidy,  and  Dr. 
E.  M.  Martin.  The  officers  of  the  Memorial  Dispensary  for  Women  and 
Children  are:  President,  Lottie  A.  Cort,  M.D.  ;  Vice-President,  L.  A.  Cuinet, 
M.D.S.  ;  Secretary,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Ostrander;  Treasurer,  Miss  C.  F.  Brissel; 
Eesident  Physician,  Hattie  C.  Van  Buren,  M.D. ;  Trustees,  Mrs.  J.  H. 
Burtis,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Eidsdale,  Mrs.  Jere  Johnson,  Jr.,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Siede, 
Jennie  V-H.  Baker,  M.D.,  Maria  U.  Hanford,  M.D.,  Mary  L.  Lines,  M.D., 
Lottie  A.  Cort,  M.D.,  and  Miss  E.  Meachem. 

The  Brooklyn  Nursery  and  Infants'  Hospital  was  originally  incorporated 
on  August  7,  1871,  as  the"Flatbush  Avenue  Industrial  School  and  Nursery," 
but  on  February  15,  1872,  an  Act  was  passed  changing  the  name  to  "The 
Brooklyn  Nursery."  In  April,  1890,  the  petition  for  addition  to  name  was 
granted,  and  the  institution  is  now  known  as  The  Brooklyn  Nursery  and 
Infants'  Hospital.  The  institution  has  a  capacity  of  about  fifty.  It  is  con- 
ducted by  a  Board  of  Managers,  composed  of  forty-three  prominent  women  of 
Brooklyn,  the  officers  of  which  are :  Mrs.  Henry  F.  Aten,  First  Directress ; 
Miss  Delia  Dauchy,  Second  Directress;  Mrs.  Edwin  H.  Shannon,  Third 
Directress;  Mrs.  John  Hoagland,  Treasurer;  Mrs.  Charles  M.  Oakley, 
Eecording  Secretary ;  Mrs.  Charles  J.  Patterson,  Corresponding  Secretary. 
The  Medical  Staff  consists  of  Dr.  J.  Freeman  Atwood,  Physician-in-Chief ; 
Dr.  F.  E.  Eisley,  Physician-in-Charge ;  Doctors  "William  H.  Aten,  W.  B. 
Winchell,  F.  T.  Chaplain,  J.  B.  Given,  F.  E.  Eisley,  and  E.  Eodney  Fiske, 
Visiting  Physicians;  Dr.  H.  D.  Schenck,  Specialist;  Doctors  George  C. 
Jeffery,  O.  S.  Eitch,  and  N.  Eobinson,  Visiting  Surgeons ;  Doctors  S.  Tal- 
mage,  J.  B.  Elliott,  J.  F.  Atwood  and  E.  H.  Denison,  Consulting  Physicians ; 
and  Dr.  H.  "Willis,  Consulting  Surgeon. 

St.  Martha's  Sanitarium  and  Dispensary,  incorporated  June  26,  1889, 
maintains  the  St.  Lazarus  Homeopathic  Hospital,  the  St.  Lazarus  Free  Dispen- 
sary, the  Bethany  House  for  semi-invalids,  and  a  Training  School  for  Nurses. 
Mrs.  Thomasine  Mary  Kearny  and  Eev.  "V^'illiam  G.  "\\"ebb,  who  were  two  of 
the  eleven  incorporators,  are  President  and  Vice-President  respectively. 
Mrs.  John  F.  Seaman  is  Secretary,  and  Mrs.  Charles  L.  Coombs,  Treasurer. 
The  Advisory  Board  of  twenty -one  clergymen  and  laymen  is  headed  by  the 
Eight  Eeverend  A.  N.  Little john,  D.D.,  LL.D.  The  medical  staff  is  under- 
going reorganization  at  the  time  of  this  publication. 

The  Brooklyn  Home  for  Consumptives,  incorporated  in  1881,  is  divided 
between  the  two  medical  schools.  It  has  100  beds  and  is  a  magnificent, 
almost  unique,  institution.  The  officers  are :  President,  Mrs.  S.  V.  "White ; 
Vice-Presidents,  Mrs.  Thomas  B.  Hewitt,  Mrs.  "W.  A.  A.  Brown  and  Mrs. 


378 


New  York:  TJie  Second  City  of  the  Woj'ld. 


Henry  Batterman ;  Kecordiag  Secretary,  Mrs.  H.  B.  Davenport ;  Correspond- 
ing Secretary,  Mrs.  Frank  Reynolds ;  and  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Edson. 
Over  100  women  of  various  denominations  constitute  the  Board  of  Manage- 
ment. The  Medical  Staff  consists  of  the  following  physicians  :  Homeopathic : 
Doctors  Walter  B.  Winchell,  E.  K.  Valentine  and  "W.  S.  Eink.  Allopathic : 
Doctors  E.  Eeynolds,  Henry  A.  Higley  and  L.  M.  Fleming. 

The  beneficent  operations  of  these  institutions  are  supplemented  by  a  dozen 
homeopathic  dispensaries  and  private  hospitals  in  different  parts  of  the 
Borough.  An  excellent  example  of  a  dispensary  is  afforded  by  the  Central 
Homeopathic  Dispensary,  which  was  established  and  incorporated  by  Dr. 
Edward  W.  Avery  in  1883.  Among  those  actively  interested  in  the  early 
history  of  the  institution  were  the  late  Mrs.  David  M.  Stone,  the  late 
Mrs.  Jerome  S.  Plummer,  Mrs.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends,  and  Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Lyon. 
The  dispensary  has  had  a  remarkable  growth,  the  prescriptions  increasing  from 
3,710  the  first  year  to  17,476  in  1896.  So  great  was  the  demand  for  aid 
that  enlarged  accommodations  became  imperative,  and  in  1896  a  brick  struc- 
ture, with  all  modern  improvements,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $10,000. 
The  work  of  the  dispensary  is  carried  on  by  voluntary  contributions,  supple- 
mented by  an  appropriation  from  the  City.  The  object  of  the  institution  is 
to  furnish  homeopathic  medical  and  surgical  aid  to  the  poor  free  of  cost. 
The  managers  have  labored  long  and  faithfully  without  pecuniary  reward  to 
assist  and  relieve  the  needy,  and  the  physicians  and  surgeons  on  the  medical 
staff  have  labored  zealously  without  compensation  to  the  same  end.  Most  of 
the  patients  are  treated  at  the  Dispensary,  but  extreme  cases  are  attended  at 
their  homes  by  members  of  the  medical  staff.  The  sick  poor  who  patronize 
the  institution  are  generally  grateful  for  the  help  extended,  and  some  volun- 
teer to  give  a  pittance  from  their  scanty  store  to  help  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  Dispensary.  The  following  are  the  officers  of  the  Dispensary :  Mrs. 
William  Hart,  President;  Mrs.  W.  A.  Eedding,  Vice-President;  Mrs.  Henry 
M.  Johnson,  Secretary;  and  Mrs.  Jerome  Allen,  Treasurer.  The  medical 
staff  consists  of  the  following :  Consulting  Physicians,  Doctors  Edward  W. 
Avery  and  J.  B.  Elliott ;  Consulting  Surgeons,  Doctors  W.  W.  Blackman  and 
N.  Eobinson;  Consulting  Specialists,  Doctors  W.  D.  Schenck  and  A.  S. 
Warner ;  Attending  Medical  Staff,  Doctors  A.  M.  Eitch,  Jacob  L.  Cardozo, 
W.  W.  Moon,  G.  H.  Her,  Samuel  Eden,  C.  A.  Brown,  William  L.  Love  and 
E.  F.  Walmsley. 

The  Brooklyn  Eastern  District  Homeopathic  Dispensary  and  Hahnemann 
Hospital,  incorporated  March  6,  1872,  gives  medical  and  surgical  aid  to  the 
sick  poor,  and  during  the  year  1897  administered  to  7,685  different  cases. 
The  surgical  and  medical  staff  during  that  period  was  composed  of  Drs.  Her- 
bert C.  Allen,  Edwin  Ashwin,  Eebecca  J.  Ayers,  B.  L.  B.  Baylies,  Charles 
A.  Brown,  George  W.  Bulmer,  Katharine  D.  Burnette,  J.  L.  Cardozo,  G.  W. 
Clausen,  Edmund  M.  Devol,  J.  Albro  Eaton,  E.  E.  Fiske,  Herbert  J.  Knapp, 


Influence  of  Homeopathy  on  Medical  Science. 


379 


F.  H.  Lutze,  Warren  B.  Palmer,  Mary  E.  Kicbards,  Henry  Child  Slee,  Geo. 

G.  Van  Mater,  Amelia  Von  Der  Luhe,  Kobert  Walmsley  and  Cbarlotte  Woolley, 
Flora  Belle  Wilson  acting  as  Apothecary.  The  officers  of  the  institution  are 
as  follows:  President,  M.  B.  Streeter;  Vice-Presidents,  W.  M.  L.  Fiske,  M.D., 
and  Geo.  W.  Schaedel;  Treasurer,  George  E.  Moulton;  Secretary,  George 
Vreeland  Tompkins ;  Trustees,  M.  B.  Streeter,  Geo.  Vreeland  Tompkins,  Oscar 
Pfeifer,  A.  S.  Eichey,  William  C.  Bryant,  W.  M.  L.  Fiske,  M.D.,  George  E. 
Moulton,  B.  L.  B.  Baylies,  M.  D.,  DeWitt  Bailey  and  Geo.  W.  Schaedel. 
The  Hahnemann  Hospital  department,  with  seven  beds,  has  recently  been 
consolidated  with  the  Dispensary,  and  the  institution  is  just  entering  upon 
an  enlarged  field  of  usefulness. 

In  concluding  this  brief  review  of  the  history  of  homeopathy  in  the  City  of 
New  York,  it  is  pertinent  to  add  a  few  general  observations : 

Among  all  the  influences  affecting  the  science  and  art  of  medicine  during 
the  nineteenth  century  none  has  been  more  profound,  powerful,  and  enduring 
than  homeopathy.  When  we  study  in  medical  history  the  methods  and  the 
doses  employed  in  the  treatment  of  the  sick  one  hundred  or  even  fifty  years 
ago — methods  and  doses  now  almost  wholly  condemned  and  abandoned  by  all 
practitioners ;  when  we  consider  that  an  entire  and  exclusive  reliance  upon 
nature,  without  drugs,  for  the  healing  of  the  sick  could  alone  demonstrate  the 
injurious  rather  than  beneficial  effects  of  the  practices  then  in  vogue;  when 
we  realize  how  powerfully  the  sufferings  of  the  sick  appeal  to  the  sympathies 
of  both  relatives  and  physicians,  it  at  once  becomes  evident  how  effective  the 
'manifestly  greater  success  of  a  system  which  almost  wholly  discarded  massive 
doses  and  depended  upon  those  so  minute  as  to  be  entirely  free  from  patho- 
genetic influence,  must  and  did  gradually  become.  Gradually,  however,  for 
reasons  which  can  with  difficulty  be  appreciated  by  those  outside  of  the  pro- 
fession itself,  this  negative  influence  of  the  theories  and  practices  formulated 
and  employed  by  Hahnemann  has  compelled  changes  in  the  art  of  medicine 
which,  to  the  philosophic  mind,  are  amazing.  The  barriers  and  obstacles 
based  upon  human  affections,  ignorance  and  discredit  of  dynamic  forces 
(powerful  though  gentle),  fostered,  strengthened  and  defended  by  professional 
teachings  and  by  influences  of  every  description,  set  on  foot  by  a  proud  and 
self-confident,  not  to  say  selfish  and  arrogant  medical  priesthood,  one  and  all 
have  made  and  must  have  made  the  progress  of  a  reform  so  great  and  so 
revolutionary,  difficult  and  slow.  But  all  these  influences,  though  employed 
in  every  way  possible  to  conceive  or  execute,  have  failed  to  more  than  check 
and  hinder  the  progress  of.  reform  in  both  medical  science  and  art.  The 
lancet  and  leeches  than  once  so  commonly  preyed  on  the  life  blood  of  human- 
ity have  vanished,  while  the  blisterings  and  purgings  and  vomitings  formerly 
universal  are  now  seldom  considered  essential.  Such,  feebly  depicted,  has 
been  the  negative  influence  of  homeopathy.  The  positive  side  this  is  not  the 
place  to  consider. 


380 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


It  remains  only  to  note  that  the  single  fact  that  homeopathy  has  existed  and 
gained  even  more  extensive  acceptance  for  nearly  a  century  is  the  best  of 
proof  that  it  embodies  truth.  It  must  be  admitted  either  that  men  are  incapa- 
ble of  discovering  what  is  true  and  valuable  in  medical  art  or  that  those  forms 
of  it  which  have  constantly  grown  in  approval  for  long  periods  of  time  are 
by  so  much  proven  to  be  worthy  of  credence.  We  must  believe  that,  in  medi- 
cine, as  in  theology  and  law,  the  calm,  keen  judgment  of  mankind  is  ever 
discarding  the  false  and  accepting  the  true,  and  thus  ever  more  nearly  ap- 
proaching absolute  and  ultimate  perfection.  And  therefore  it  is  that  sturdy 
and  continuous  growth  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  truths  upon  which  the  new 
system  is  based.  Other  attempted  innovations  in  medical  art  have  failed 
more  or  less  completely.  Hydropathy,  eclecticism,  mesmerism,  hypnotism 
— isms  endless  and  numberless — all  have  exerted  some  influence,  have  each 
had  their  day  and  settled  down  to  the  position  which  each  deserves,  or  sunk 
out  of  sight  altogether.  Homeopathy  alone  has  steadily  and  persistently 
grown.  Its  history  is  a  record  rich  with  both  direct  and  indirect  benefit  to 
the  human  race,  and  it  deserves  the  name  of  the  great  therapeutic  reform  of 
the  century. 


One  of  the  elder  and  more  prominent  of  the  homeopathic  physicians  of  New 
York  City  is  Dr.  William  S.  Searle,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  who  has  been  an 
earnest  and  efficient  worker  in  the  cause  of  medical  reform,  and  who  adds  to 
the  arduous  duties  of  a  large  general  and  special  practice  the  burden  of  fur- 
ther labor  in  this  direction.  In  the  early  medical  history  of  America,  and 
up  to  the  beginning  of  his  efforts,  the  licensure  of  all  medical  practitioners 
was  legally  in  the  hands  of  the  numerous  and  irresponsible  medical  colleges  of 
the  various  States.  Any  association  of  physicians  could  obtain  a  charter  for 
a  medical  college,  giving  them  the  legal  right  to  educate  candidates  as  fully 
as  and  no  more  exhaustively  than  they  chose,  and,  at  the  close  of  their  studies 
and  often  practically  without  any  study,  examine  them,  according  to  their 
own  varying  standards,  graduate  them,  endow  them  with  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine,  and  turn  them  into  the  community  with  all  the  legal  rights  and 
privileges  of  physicians.  And,  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  the  graduate  of  any 
one  of  these  colleges,  which  became  scandalously  numerous,  and  many  of 
them  notoriously  money-making  institutions,  was  on  an  equal  footing 
with  those  of  any  other.  The  status  of  the  legal  profession  was  quite  similar. 
In  fact,  there  was  no  State  control  of  any  profession.  Titles,  degrees  and 
class  privileges  of  all  sorts  were  huckstered  and  bartered  for  in  every  part  of 
the  country,  until  they  became  a  byword  and  a  hissing  not  only  abroad  but 
at  home.  These  conditions  were  most  deeply  deplored,  and  various  sugges- 
tions were  current  for  their  remedy.  But  reform  appeared  hopeless.  To 
attempt  to  deprive  the  medical  colleges — some  of  them  long  established,  and. 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 


381 


for  the  time,  excellent  institi;tions — of  their  long  vested  rights  and  privileges, 
appeared  an  entirely  visionary  and  impracticable  scheme.  But  Dr.  Searle  was 
not  discouraged,  and  determined  to  attemjjt  reform.  In  1868  he  submitted 
to  the  New  York  State  Legislature  a  bill  establishing  a  State  board  of  exam- 
iners in  medicine — the  first  measure  of  the  kind  in  America,  and  in  his  annual 
address  before  the  Homeopathic  State  Society,  as  well  as  before  the  Legisla- 
tive Committee  to  which  his  bill  was  referred,  he  argued  powerfully  in  favor 
of  reform  as  embodied  in  his  bill.  Mainly  by  means  of  his  efforts,  ably 
seconded  by  those  of  Dr.  William  H.  Watson  of  Utica,  Dr.  John  F.  Gray 
of  New  York  City,  and  Dr.  H.  M.  Paine  of  Albany,  the  law  of  1872  was 
finally  passed,  and  under  it  were  appointed  the  first  medical  State  examining 
boards  of  America.  It  was  the  entering  wedge,  and  it  has  been  driven  home, 
until  at  the  date  of  this  writing,  in  1898,  similar  laws  are  the  rule  through- 
out all  the  States.  This  reform  has  not  only  revolutionized  medical  educa- 
tion, but  it  has  also  extended  into  nearly  or  quite  all  other  professions,  until 
State  examination  is  the  law  in  them  all.  Dr.  Searle  justly  regards  these 
changes  with  pride  as  the  work  of  his  life.  At  the  thirty-ninth  semi-annual 
meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  the  following 
resolution  was  unanimously  adopted : 

"Eesolved,  that  this  Society  tenders  its  thanks  in  appreciation  of  the  labors 
of  those  who  have  been  notably  instrumental  in  effecting  reforms  in  medical 
legislation  in  this  State.  As  original  promoters  and  consistent  educators  of 
public  opinion,  the  names  of  the  late  Dr.  John  F.  Gray,  Dr.  W.  S.  Searle, 
Dr.  William  H.  Watson  and  Dr.  H.  M.  Paine  are  historically  associated  with 
the  movement.    'Multa  quoque  et  hello  passiis  dum  conderet  urbem.''  " 

Dr.  Searle  was  appointed  one  of  the  first  Board  of  Examiners  in  1872.  He 
aftei-ward  held  the  office  of  President  for  a  series  of  years.  In  1891  he  was 
reappointed  under  a  new  law,  and  served  until  his  resignation  in  1894.  Dr. 
Searle  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  still  wider  reforms  along  the  same  line. 
Eecognizing  and  deploring  the  evil  influences  of  therapeutic  divisions  and  quar- 
rels in  his  chosen  profession,  and  noting  how  multiform  have  become  the  uses 
of  the  common  title  of  "Doctor,"  he  proposes  the  estiblishment  of  a  national 
board  of  examiners  in  medicine,  to  form  a  part  of  a  University  in  the  District 
of  Columbia,  which  shall  be  empowered  to  confer  honorary  degrees.  Of 
these,  he  would  have  two,  so  entitled  as  to  be  incapable  of  perversion  to 
other  uses,  viz.,  "State  Physician,"  and  "State  Physician  and  Surgeon." 
His  plan  is  to  make  these  degrees  attainable  only  by  those  who  have  earned  an 
A.B.  or  Ph.D.,  as  well  as  M.D.,  and  a  license  to  practice  derived  from  some 
State  board  of  examiners  in  medicine.  In  order  to  obtain  these  new  and 
national  degrees,  candidates  would  be  required  to  pass  a  rigid  and  practical, 
as  well  as  a  paper  examination,  in  a  hospital.  From  this  examination  Dr. 
Searle  would  exclude  therapeutics,  and  thus  banish  all  distinctions  of  schools 
of  medical  practice,  present  or  future.    The  large  fees,  $500  from  each  candi- 


S82 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  Wo7'ld. 


date,  would,  he  believes,  amply  remunerate  and  pay  the  expenses  of  a  corps 
of  the  ablest  examiners  the  country  or  world  affords,  and  a  uniform  standard 
would  be  established  for  all  parts  of  the  country.  All  examinations  for  the 
Army  and  Navy  might  be  superseded.  Ambition  would  impel  a  higher  degree 
of  attainment  that  would  be  amply  repaid  to  successful  candidates,  since 
municipal  and  other  offices  would  naturally  fall  to  their  lot.  The  community 
would  be  better  protected  than  now.  Bigotry  and  intolerance,  as  exhibited 
by  differing  schools  of  medical  art,  would  become  extinct,  and  numerous 
other  advantages  accrue  both  to  the  profession,  to  the  citizen  and  to  the 
nation.  So  argues  Dr.  Searle.  In  addition  to  his  labors  in  this  field.  Dr. 
Searle  has  busied  himself  with  literature,  and  has  long  been  a  welcome  con- 
tributor to  both  the  general  and  medical  fields  of  the  world  of  letters.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Broklyn  Homeopathic  Hospital,  and  served 
upon  its  staff  and  on  that  of  the  Broooklyn  Maternity  for  many  years.  His 
residence  in  Brooklyn  dates  from  1869.  For  ten  years  previous  to  that  he 
practiced  in  Troy,  N.  Y.  He  was  born  in  Bradford,  Mass.,  in  1833,  and  is 
the  son  of  the  Kev.  M.  C.  Searle,  a  distinguished  Presbyterian  divine.  He 
graduated  with  high  honor  from  Hamilton  College,  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  1855, 
and  received  his  medical  education  in  the  universities  of  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania,  graduating  from  the  latter  with  the  class  of  1859.  He  is  still 
hale  and  hearty,  and  engaged  in  general  medical  practice. 

Timothy  Field  Allen,  M.D.,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  who,  by  common  con- 
sent of  the  homeopathic  profession  of  New  York  City  is  recognized  as  its  head 
in  the  practice  of  medicine,  is  the  son  of  Dr.  David  Allen  and  Eliza  Graves, 
and  was  born  in  Westminster,  Vt.,  April  24,  1837.  In  1858  he  was  graduated 
from  Amherst  College,  from  which  institution  he  received  the  honorary  degree 
ofLL.D.,  in  1885.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  taking  his  degree  1861,  and  entered  the  United  States  Army  as  as- 
sistant surgeon  the  following  year.  Upon  his  return  to  New  York  he  resumed 
his  practice  in  association  with  the  late  Dr.  Carroll  Dunham,  and  soon 
attained  distinction.  In  the  chair  of  Chemistry  in  the  New  York  Medical 
College  for  Women,  and  the  chairs  of  Anatomy,  Materia  Medica  and  Thera- 
peutics in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  his  finely  analytical 
mind  and  his  profound  knowledge  of  his  art  have  contributed  immeasurably 
to  the  advancement  of  the  profession.  He  has  also  contributed  liberally  to 
the  permanent  and  periodical  literature  of  homeopathy.  His  "Encyclopedia 
of  Pure  Materia  Medica, ' '  of  eleven  volumes,  contains  all  that  was  known 
about  the  action  of  drugs  upon  healthy  human  beings  at  the  time  of  its  pub- 
lication and  is  an  invaluable  storehouse  of  information  for  the  practicing 
physician.  Other  works  of  his  are  a  "Handbook  of  Materia  Medica  and 
Therapeutics,"  consisting  of  1,200  pages,  a  smaller  work  called  a  "Primer  of 
Materia  Medica,"  and  a  revised  edition  of  "Bonninghausen's  Therapeutic 
Pocketbook. '  *    Soon  after  Dr.  Allen  was  called  to  the  chair  of  Anatomy  in 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  383 


the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital,  the  Trustees  invited  his  assistance  in 
placing  the  institution  under  homeopathic  auspices,  and  it  was  under  Dr. 
Allen  and  the  late  Dr.  Liebold  that  homeopathic  treatment  was  begun  there. 
He  has  also  been  instrumental  in  raising  funds  necessary  for  the  erection  of  its 
new  building,  and  has  been  intimately  connected  with  its  work  for  a  third  of 
a  century.  He  is  now  President  and  Consulting  Physician  of  the  Institution. 
When  the  Laura  Franklin  Free  Hospital  for  Children  was  endowed  by  Mr.  De- 
lano, Dr.  Allen's  assistance  was  again  sought  in  the  appointment  of  the  staflf  of 
homeopathic  physicians  and  surgeons,  and  the  remarkable  results  obtained  in 
that  institution,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  Consulting  Physicians,  have  been 
due  largely  to  his  co-operation.  His  original  investigations  into  the  domain 
of  homeopathy  naturally  led  him  to  take  up  the  science  of  botany,  and,  as  an 
intimate  friend  of  Professor  John  Torrey,  of  Columbia  College,  he  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  the  New  York  Academy  of 
Sciences,  the  Scientific  Alliance,  the  New  York  State  and  County  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  Societies,  the  American  Geographical  Society,  the  Amherst 
Alumni  Association,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Club  and  Whist  Club. 

William  Henry  Aten,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  son  of  Charles  H. 
Aten  and  Martha  Nixon,  was  born  in  Tecumseh,  Mich.,  July  15,  1861.  He 
received  a  high-school  education  in  Tecumseh,  and  in  1879  began  the  study 
of  medicine  under  Dr.  B.  B.  House  as  preceptor.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Brooklyn,  and  entered  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  graduating  in  1883. 
He  studied  homeopathy  from  June  to  October,  1883,  and  then  took  an  exami- 
nation in  competition  with  a  number  of  homeopathic  graduates,  for  the 
Ward's  Island  Honreopathic  Hospital,  winning  second  place.  After  eighteen 
months'  connection  with  the  Hospital  he  went  to  South  America  as  Surgeon 
to  the  Brazil  Mail  Steamship  Co.,  making  several  voyages  to  the  West  Indies 
and  Brazil.  He  then  located  permanently  in  Brooklyn.  For  some  time  he 
was  a  partner  of  his  uncle,  the  late  Dr.  H.  F.  Aten,  one  of  the  leading 
homeopathic  physicians  of  the  City,  and  eventually  succeeded  to  his  practice. 
While  fully  conversant  with  the  most  modern  phases  of  medical  science,  his 
natural  temperament  and  his  past  association  with  the  elder  members  of  the 
profession  have  given  him  a  discretion  and  maturity  of  judgment  beyond  his 
years,  and  resulted  in  a  career  of  marked  success.  Among  the  official  posi- 
tions which  he  has  held  or  now  holds,  may  be  mentioned  those  of  Visiting 
Physician  to  the  Brooklyn  Infants'  Hospital,  Examiner  for  the  United  States 
Life  Insurance  Co.,  and  Examiner  in  Lunacy.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Associated  Alumni  of  the  Brooklyn  Training  Schools  for  Nurses,  Vice- 
President  of  the  County  Medical  Society,  and  a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Med- 
ical Club.  He  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  valuable  contributions  to  medi- 
cal literature,  his  articles  referring  principally  to  various  phases  of  children's 
diseases,  to  which  he  has  devoted  special  study. 


384 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Joseph  Freeman  Atwood,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  September  20,  1845,  and  educated  at  tlie  Pennington  Seminary,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  honors  of  Valedictorian  in  1862.  The  son 
of  Joseph  Atwood,  and  nephew  of  Anthony  Atwood,  two  well-known  clergy- 
men of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  descended  through  his  mother  {n^e  Cranmer) 
from  the  great  English  archbishop,  it  would  not  have  been  surprising  if  he 
had  become  a  clergyman.  His  predilections,  however,  were  for  the  cure  of 
bodies  rather  than  souls,  and  in  1870  he  was  graduated  from  the  New  York 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  with  tlie  Second  Faculty  Prize  for  grad- 
uating thesis.  During  his  course,  he  had  assisted  in  the  ofl&ce  of  Prof. 
Alonzo  Clark,  and  devoted  especial  attention  to  microscopical  work.  After 
some  months  of  dispensary  and  hospital  work  in  New  York,  he  located  in 
Brooklyn,  and  for  seven  years  was  an  associate  of  the  late  Dr.  Henry  F. 
Aten.  The  Brooklyn  Nursery  and  Infants'  Hospital  had  but  recently  been 
organized,  and  Dr.  Atwood  became  its  Attending  Physician  and,  a  few  years 
later,  Physician-in-Chief,  which  post  he  still  occupies.  For  many  years  he 
was  a  member  and  Secretary  of  the  Medical  Staff  of  the  Brooklyn  Homeo- 
pathic Hospital,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Control  of  its  Training  School  for 
Nurses,  and  Lecturer  on  Obstetrics  to  the  School.  For  twelve  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Brooklyn  Board  of  United  States  Examining  Surgeons  for 
Pensions,  and  elicited  from  the  Pension  Office  special  commendation  for  the 
excellence  of  his  work.  For  five  years  he  was  Major  and  Surgeon  of  the 
Fourteenth  Kegiment,  N.G.,  S.N.Y.  He  is  President  of  the  Kings  County 
Homeopathic,  and  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  In 
politics  he  is  a  strong  Eepublican,  and  in  religion  a  Methodist.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  Simpson  M.  E.  Church,  and  formerly  for  eight  years  Superintend- 
ent of  its  Sunday-school.  On  January  12,  1876,  he  married  Miss  Viola  C. 
DuBois,  of  Brooklyn. 

Edward  Woodbridge  Avery,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  is  the  son  of  the 
late  Charles  Avery,  LL.D.,  for  many  years  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Phil- 
osophy in  Hamilton  College.  He  is  also  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Elliott, 
the  apostle  to  the  Indians,  and  of  Governor  Steel  of  Connecticut.  Dr.  Avery  was 
born  at  Clinton,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  He  was  graduated  at  Hamilton  Col- 
lege in  1863,  and  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New 
York  City  the  same  year,  supporting  himself  during  the  course  by  teaching. 
In  April,  1864,  he  received  the  appointment  of  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon  in 
the  United  States  Navy,  and  served  in  that  capacity  till  the  close  of  the  War. 
He  was  in  active  service  in  the  Atlantic  and  the  Gulf  Squadrons,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  in  the  Fall  of  1865.  He  at  once  re-entered  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  completed  his  course  in  the  Spring  of  1866. 
After  graduating  he  entered  the  army  as  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon,  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region.  He  took  charge  of  the  med- 
ical department  at  Fort  Sanders,  Laramie  Plains,  and  superintended  the 


JOSEPH  FREEMAN  ATWOOD.  LORENZO  W.  BOLAN. 


! 

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Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  387 


building  of  the  Post  Hospital.  He  resigned  from  the  army  in  the  summer 
of  1867  to  enter  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  from  which 
college  he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1868,  having  been  chosen  valedictorian 
of  the  graduating  class.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  being  associated  with  the  late  Dr.  Asa  Hall.  In  the  summer 
of  1870  he  accepted  an  appointment  in  the  German  Army  as  Acting  Assistant 
Surgeon,  being  one  of  six  surgeons  from  this  country  who  served  Germany 
during  the  Franco-German  War.  After  returning  from  abroad,  Dr.  Avery 
spent  some  time  in  Minnesota,  and  then  settled  in  the  City  of  Brooklyn, 
where  he  has  since  been  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1883  he  estab- 
lished and  had  incorporated  the  Central  Homeopathic  Dispensary,  which  last 
year  gave  out  over  17,000  prescriptions.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
medical  staff  of  the  Brooklyn  Maternity  Hospital  since  1883,  and  has  been 
Medical  Director  of  that  noble  charity  during  the  past  five  years.  He  is 
ex-President  of  the  Kings  County  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  and  a 
member  of  the  New  York  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  beside  being 
a  member  of  a  number  of  mutual  benefit  societies. 

Lorenzo  W.  Bolan,  M.  D. ,  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  was  bom  in  Athens, 
N.  Y.,  April  6,  1854.  His  earlier  education  was  received  in  the  Stamford 
Seminary,  after  which,  in  1882,  he  entered  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Col- 
lege, graduating  in  1885.  He  immediately  established  himself  in  Brooklyn, 
where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  growing  general  practice.  His  understand- 
ing of  child-nature,  which  is  largely  instinctive  with  a  physician,  as  well  as 
his  professional  knowledge,  have  made  him  especially  successful  in  the  treat- 
ment of  children's  diseases,  which  are  his  specialty.  He  also  devotes  much  of 
his  attention  to  hospital  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Dispensary  staff  of 
the  Court  Street  Hospital  of  Brooklyn,  of  the  New  York  State  and  Kings 
County  Homeopathic  Medical  Societies,  and  the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College. 

George  W.  Bulraer,  M.D. ,  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  in  1855.  His  father,  James  Bulmer,  was  a  prosperous  builder  of 
that  City.  Dr.  Bulmer  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Brooklyn,  and 
at  Brown's  Business  College.  After  a  year  in  active  mercantile  employment 
he  entered  the  Hackettstown,  N.  J.,  Collegiate  Institute  for  the  purpose  of 
fitting  himself  for  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  began  in  1880  at  the  New 
York  Homeopathic  College.  He  graduated  in  '84,  and  at  once  began  the 
active  practice  of  his  profession  in  his  native  City.  In  the  period  which 
has  elapsed.  Dr.  Bulmer  has  slowly  advanced  to  the  front  rank  of  homeo- 
pathic physicians  in  Brooklyn.  He  is  widely  known  and  respected.  While 
making  a  specialty  of  gynecology,  he  has  acquired  a  lucrative  and  exacting 
general  practice.  Dr.  Bulmer  was  Interne  of  the  Cumberland  Street  Hospital, 
was  long  Vice-President  of  the  Eastern  District  Dispensary,  with  which  insti- 


388 


Neio  York:  Hie  Second  City  of  the  World. 


tution  be  has  been  connected  for  tbe  past  twelve  years,  and  is  an  bonored 
member  of  tbe  State  and  County  Homeopatbic  Medical  Societies. 

Bukk  G.  Carleton,  M.D.,  of  Manbattan  Borougb,  a  scion  of  old  New  Eng- 
land Puritan  stock,  was  born  in  Wbitofield,  N.  H.,  November  11,  1856.  At 
tbe  age  of  sixteen  be  bad  completed  bis  classical  course  at  tbe  Littleton, 
N.  H.,  Higb  Scbool,  and  entered  upon  tbe  study  of  medicine  witb  Dr.  T.  E. 
Sanger.  Tbe  following  year  be  entered  tbe  New  York  Homeopatbic  College, 
and  graduated  second  in  bis  class  of  1876.  In  1876-77  be  was  an  Interne  in 
tbe  Ward's  Island  Hospital.  In  1877,  after  taking  a  post-graduate  course  in 
tbe  University  of  tbe  City  of  New  York,  be  was  appointed  Special  Patbol- 
ogist  to  the  Ward's  Island  Hospital  (now  Metropolitan),  and  in  tbe  same 
year  Professor  of  Pbysiology  in  tbe  Women's  Medical  College  and  Hospital, 
but  illness  prevented  bis  completing  tbe  course  in  tbe  latter  position.  In 
1880  be  was  appointed  Visiting  Surgeon  to  tbe  Ward's  Island  Hospital,  but 
bis  increasing  practice  compelled  bim  to  relinquisb  tbe  position  in  1885. 
Meanwbile,  be  bad  been  in  cbarge  of  tbe  Department  of  Practical  Anatomy  in 
tbe  New  York  Homeopatbic  Medical  College,  in  wbicb  be  was  Associate  Pro- 
fessor and  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy,  and  from  1877  to  1883  was  Attending 
Pbysician  to  tbe  New  York  Homeopatbic  College  Dispensary.  He  bas  also 
served  in  tbe  latter  capacity  witb  tbe  Western  Dispensary  and  Hahnemann 
Hospital.  In  1890  be  resumed  tbe  position  of  Visiting  Pbysician  to  tbe 
Ward's  Island  Hospital,  and  in  1895  was  appointed  Genito-Urinary  Surgeon 
to  tbat  institution.  On  tbe  formation  of  tbe  Metropolitan  Post-Graduate 
Scbool  of  Medicine  be  was  invited  to  tbe  cbair  of  genito-urinary  and  kidney 
diseases,  on  wbicb  subjects  be  is  an  authority,  and  in  1896  was  appointed 
Consulting  Genito-Urinary  Surgeon  to  the  Hahnemann  Hospital.  His 
manual  on  this  specialty  is  said  to  have  bad  tbe  largest  sale  of  any  work  pub- 
lished in  "The  New  Scbool  of  Medicine."  He  is  also  the  author  of  a  man- 
ual on  tbe  Medical  and  Surgical  Diseases  of  the  Kidneys,  1898,  and  tbe  Pros- 
tate, 1898,  etc.,  and  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  tbe  medical  journals. 
Dr.  Carleton  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  tbe 
State  and  County  Medical  Societies,  tbe  Eepublican  Club,  and  the  Union 
League  Club.  In  1879  be  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  C.  Kobinson,  of 
New  York,  and  has  three  children.  His  City  residence  is  at  75  West  Fiftieth 
street,  and  his  summer  home  and  farm  in  the  White  Mountains,  at  White- 
field,  N.  H. 

Henry  M.  Dearborn,  M.  D. ,  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  was  bom  in 
Epsom,  N.  H.,  November  19,  1846,  and  received  a  generous  education  at  the 
Canaan  Academy  and  the  Pembroke,  N.  H.,  Classical  School.  This  was 
supplemented  by  a  medical  course  at  Harvard  University  Medical  College  and 
Bowdoin  Medical  College,  from  wbicb  latter  be  graduated  in  1869.  After 
practicing  bis  profession  with  success  for  three  years  in  New  Hampshire, 
and  seven  years  in  Boston,  be  came  to  New  York  in  1880  in  search  of  a  wider 


H.  M.  DEARBORN.  j.  ^lbRO  EATON. 


I 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  391 


field.  In  the  metropolis  bis  ability  was  quickly  recognized.  Since  1883  he 
has  been  Visiting  Physician  to  the  Metropolitan  Hospital;  from  1885  to  1896 
he  was  Professor  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  New  York  Med- 
ical College  and  Hospital  for  "Women,  and  since  1892  Clinical  Professor  of 
Dermatology  in  the  same  institution ;  since  1893  he  has  been  Professor  of 
Dermatology  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College  and  Hospital ; 
from  1885  to  1891  he  was  Associate  Editor  of  the  "North  American  Journal 
of  Homeopathy  ;"  since  1886  he  has  been  Attending  Physician  for  diseases  of 
the  skin  to  the  Laura  Franklin  Free  Hospital  for  Children;  since  1887  Con- 
sulting Physician  to  the  Women's  College  Hospital;  since  1897  Consulting 
Dermatologist  to  the  Flower  Hospital,  and  Consulting  Physician  to  the 
Memorial  Hospital  for  Women  and  Children,  Brooklyn.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Colonial  Club,  and  of  many  professional  organizations,  including  the  New 
York  County  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  New  York  State  Homeopathic 
Medical  Society,  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  American  Obstetrical 
Society,  the  Jahr  Club,  New  York  Medical  Club,  New  York  Materia  Medica 
Society,  New  York  Paedological  Society,  Academy  of  Pathological  Science, 
and  honorary  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Society.  In  1863  Dr. 
Dearborn  married  Saidee  Smith,  daughter  of  the  late  Edward  Henry  Smith,  of 
London,  Eng.,  and  has  had  one  daughter  and  one  son. 

J.  Albro  Eaton,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
January  15,  1841,  the  son  of  Alonzo  K.  and  Janet  Hall  Eaton.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools,  but  mostly  at  boarding  schools, 
and  at  the  Flushing  Institute,  Flushing,  N.  Y.  The  death  of  his  father  dur- 
ing his  early  childhood,  however,  compelled  him  to  depend  upon  his  own 
resources,  and  at  an  early  age  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  in 
Morristown,  N.  J.  While  there  he  joined  the  Thirty-first  Eegiment,  New 
Jersey  State  Militia,  under  Capt.  Ira  M.  Lindsley,  who  was  killed  at  the 
Battle  of  Fredericksburg,  A^a.  He  afterward  served  during  the  Draft  Eiots 
in  New  York  City.  His  father  was  one  of  the  Patriots  in  the  Patriot  War, 
1833 ;  his  uncle,  Capt.  John  Eaton,  organized  and  led  the  Eaton  Battery  of 
Buffalo,  all  through  the  War  of  the  Pvebellion;  and  his  grandfather  was 
engaged  in  the  war  between  England  and  France.  From  Morristown  Dr. 
Eaton  moved  to  Newark.  He  then  began  the  study  of  medicine  and  returned 
to  Flushing  Institute  until  the  age  of  twenty.  In  1866  he  move  to  Toledo, 
O.,  learned  a  trade,  built  a  factory  and  went  into  business.  From  there 
he  went  to  Ashtabula,  O.,  and  returned  to  Toledo  as  a  traveling  salesman. 
After  this  period  of  business  activity  he  resumed  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  E.  Van  Norman  at  Springfield,  O.,  and  after  the  legal  term 
had  elapsed,  he  entered  the  Pulte  Homeopathic  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati, 
graduating  with  first  honors  and  prizes.  Later  he  graduated  from  the  New 
York  Polyclinic  in  the  class  of  '84.  Dr.  Eaton  began  the  active  practice  of 
medicine  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  was  associated  first  with  Dr.  George  C. 


392 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


Jeffery  on  Tompkius  Avenue,  and  tlien  for  a  number  of  years  with  Dr.  J.  H. 
Ward,  and  subsequently  with  Dr.  William  M.  L.  Fiske.  He  is  now  engaged 
in  the  general  practice  of  medicine,  unassociated,  and  has  acquired  an  exten- 
sive practice.  Dr.  Eaton  was  iiliysician  in  charge  of  the  Eastern  District 
Homeopathic  Dispensary  for  twelve  years,  until  1897.  He  has  attended  the 
gynaecological  clinic  at  the  Cumberland  Street  Hospital  Dispensary  for  the 
period  of  five  years.  His  activities,  both  professional  and  social,  extend 
also  to  membership  in  the  Kings  County  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  and 
the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy.  Although  actively  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  medicine.  Dr.  Eaton's  specialties  are  surgery  and  gynaecol- 
ogy. He  is  an  excellent  example  of  native  ability,  which  in  spite  of  small 
resources,  compelling  him  to  work  his  way  through  the  institutions  which  he 
attended,  has  led  eventually  to  prominence  and  success. 

Egbert  Guernsey,  M.D.,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  was  born  in  Litchfield, 
Conn.,  July  28,  1823.  His  ancestor,  John  Guernsey,  emigrated  from  the  Isle 
of  Guernsey  in  1638,  and  was  one  of  the  180  Puritans  who  established  the 
Colony  of  New  Haven  in  that  year.  His  grandmother  was  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  William  Clinton,  first  Earl  of  Huntington,  whose  descendant  in  the 
eighth  generation  became  Lord  High  Admiral  of  England,  and  in  1571  was 
created  Earl  of  Lincoln,  the  title  subsequently  being  merged  into  that  of  the 
Duke  of  Newcastle.  Dr.  Guernsey  was  educated  at  Phillips  Academy, 
Andover,  Mass.,  and  at  Yale  College,  and  graduated  from  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  New  York  in  1846,  having  been  a  pupil  of  Dr. 
Valentine  Mott.  Having  decided  literary  tastes,  he  was  at  various  times  in 
the  early  years  of  his  professional  life  connected  with  the  New  York  Tribune, 
the  Evening  3Iirror  (edited  by  George  P.  Morris  and  N.  P.  Willis),  and  in 
1847  established  the  Brooklyn  Baily  Times,  of  which  he  was  editor-in-chief. 
He  also  wrote  a  school  history  of  the  United  States,  which  was  extensively 
used  throughout  the  Union.  In  1855  he  published  a  work  on  Medical  Prac- 
tice, which  has  passed  through  eleven  editions,  and  has  been  translated  into 
several  European  languages.  In  1852  he  was  associated  with  A.  Gerald  Hull 
in  editing  "Jahr's  Manual,"  and  in  1872  he  started  the  Medical  Times,  of 
which  he  is  still  editor.  For  six  years  Dr.  Guernsey  was  Professor  of 
Theory  and  Practice,  and  then  of  Materia  Medica  in  the  New  York  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  College.  For  nineteen  years  he  was  connected  with  the  State 
Insane  Asylum  at  Middletown,  as  trustee,  and  for  twenty-one  years  has  been 
President  of  the  Medical  board  of  the  Metropolitan  Hospital,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  founders.  In  1870  he  organized  the  Western  Dispensary,  and  he 
was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Hahnemann  Hospital,  with  which  it  has 
recently  been  united,  the  Maternity  Department  being  called  by  his  name. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  County  and  State  Medical  Society,  in  both  of  which 
he  has  held  the  office  of  President,  and  of  the  Union  League  Club,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  founders.    In  1896,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  gradua- 


EGBERT  GUERNSEY. 


WILLIAJI  H.  KING. 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 


395 


tion  in  medicine,  the  Medical  Board  and  Alumni  Association  of  the  Metro- 
politan Hospital  gave  him  a  complimentary  banquet  at  the  Union  League 
Club,  and  presented  him  with  a  superb  silver  loving  cup.  Seventy-five  lead- 
ing physicians  were  present  at  this  banquet.  Dr.  Guernsey  was  married  in 
1848  to  Miss  Sarah  LefFerts  Schenck,  whose  maternal  ancestors  were  the 
Huguenot  Meseroles  of  Picardy,  and  paternal  ancestors  the  Lefferts  and 
Schencks.  The  latter  descended  from  Edgar  D.  Schencken,  who  in  798  was 
seneschal  to  Charlemagne.  From  him  came  the  Baron  Schenck  Van  Mydeck, 
of  Gelderland,  the  ancestors  of  Johannes  Schenck,  who  came  from  Holland  in 
1683,  and  from  whom  Mrs.  Guernsey  is  descended  in  the  sixth  generation. 
Dr.  Guernsey  has  had  two  children,  a  daughter  Florence,  who  is  still  living, 
and  a  son.  Dr.  Egbert,  Jr.,  of  Florida,  who  died  July  25,  1893. 

"William  Tod  Helmuth,  M.  D. ,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  is  a  native  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  took  his  degree  of  M.D.,  from  the  Homeopathic  Medical  College 
of  Pennsylvania  in  1853.  He  subsequently  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
M.D.  from  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  San  Francisco,  and  LL.D. 
from  Yale  University,  as  well  as  the  diploma  of  the  Kegents  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  After  practicing  four  or  five  years  in  Philadelphia,  he  moved  to 
St.  Louis,  where  he  resided  for  a  decade  or  more,  and  where  he  married 
Fannie  I.  Pritchard.  Receiving  a  call  to  the  chair  of  Surgery  in  the  New 
York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  he  came  to  New  York  and  soon  became 
one  of  the  foremost  exponents  of  the  homeopathic  school  in  the  metropolis. 
As  a  surgeon  he  is  facile,  princeps  of  the  homeopathic  profession  in  the  City, 
and  his  published  work  on  Surgery  is  a  standard  authority.  He  still  holds 
the  chair  of  Surgery  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College  and  Hospital, 
and  in  addition  has  for  many  years  been  Dean  of  the  Faculty.  He  is  also 
Consulting  Surgeon  to  the  Hahnemann  Hospital,  the  Laura  Franklin  Hos- 
pital, the  New  York  Medical  College  and  Hospital  for  Women,  the  New  York 
Homeopathic  Medical  College  Dispensary  and  the  Flower  Hospital,  of  which 
latter  he  is  also  Medical  Superintendent.  His  eminent  services  have  evoked 
many  marks  of  distinction  from  medical  bodies  at  home  and  abroad,  and  in 
addition  to  those  previously  mentioned  he  has  had  honorary  membership 
conferred  by  the  State  Homeopathic  Societies  of  Massachusetts,  Ehode  Island 
and  Connecticut,  and  by  the  Societe  Medicale  Homeopath ique  de  France. 
For  some  time  he  was  President  of  the  New  York  State  Homeopathic  Society. 
In  addition  to  these  and  other  professional  organizations,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Union  League  and  Grolier  Clubs  of  New  York.  Dr.  Helmuth's  wife  has  a 
national  reputation  as  a  leader  of  philanthropic  and  progressive  work  among 
women.  She  is  President  of  the  Women's  Guild  of  the  New  York  Homeopathic 
Medical  College  and  Hospital,  President  of  the  State  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs,  and  for  several  years  was  the  President  of  Sorosis.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Helmuth  have  two  children — a  daughter,  the  wife  of  Capt.  W.  P.  Edgerton, 
U.S.A.,  and  a  son,  Dr.  "William  Tod  Helmuth,  Jr. 


396 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


William  Tod  Helmuth,  Jr.,  M.D.,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  son  of  the  emi- 
nent surgeon  of  the  same  name,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  February  24,  1865, 
and  after  receiving  a  schooling  in  the  common  English  branches  i)repared 
for  college  and  entered  Princeton.  By  heredity  and  association,  he  had  a 
strong  predilection  for  the  profession  of  his  father,  and  matriculating  at  the 
New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  took  his  degree  of  M.D.  in  1887. 
After  his  graduation  he  studied  abroad  for  awhile  to  become  more  familiar 
with  the  best  foreign  methods,  and  then  took  up  the  practice  of  general  sur- 
gery in  New  York  City,  where  he  enjoys  a  high  reputation.  He  is  Lecturer 
on  Orthopaedic  Surgery  and  Clinical  Assistant  to  the  Chair  of  Surgery  at  the 
New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  Attending  Surgeon  to  the  Flower 
Hospital,  and  sustains  similar  professional  relations  with  other  homeopathic 
institutions  in  the  City.  In  1895  Dr.  Helmuth  married  Belle  S.,  daughter 
of  Col.  John  T.  Lockman,  of  New  York,  and  has  one  son,  William  Tod  Hel- 
muth, third. 

Magnus  Tate  Hopper,  M.D.,  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  was  born  in 
Mays  Lick,  Ky.,  December  25,  1866.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  B.  Hopper 
and  Susan  E.  Evans.  At  the  academy  of  his  native  town  and  that  of  North 
Middletown,  Ky.,  he  prepared  for  college,  and  entered  the  New  York  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  College  in  1888,  graduating  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1891. 
He  then  served  as  Senior  House  Physician  in  the  Brooklyn  Homeopathic 
Hospital  until  1892,  and  has  since  pursued  the  general  practice  of  medicine 
in  Brooklyn  and  New  York.  In  addition  to  his  extended  private  practice,  he 
holds  many  important  positions  in  the  institutions  of  the  City,  such  as 
Gynfecologist  at  the  Brooklyn  Homeopathic  Dispensary,  Lecturer  on  Hygiene 
at  the  Home  for  Destitute  Children,  member  of  the  Visiting  Staff  of  the 
Brooklyn  Maternity  Hospital,  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Home  for  Epileptics, 
member  of  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Materia  Medica  Society,  member  of 
the  New  York  Homeopathic  Pedological  Society,  and  Consulting  Physician 
on  the  Staff  of  the  Homeopathic  Hospital  Dispensary.  Dr.  Hopper  is  a 
member  also  of  several  prominent  social  organizations  of  Brooklyn,  including 
the  Union  League,  Oxford  and  the  Crescent  Athletic  Clubs. 

George  Clinton  Jeffery,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  son  of  the  Kev.  Eeu> 
ben  Jeffery,  D.D.,  and  Julia  Hubbard,  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  December 
15,  1851.  He  received  an  advanced  education  in  Dennison  University,  Ohio, 
and  subsequently  received  a  medical  training  in  the  Pulte  Medical  College  of 
Cincinnati,  receiving  his  degree  from  the  latter,  February  11,  1875.  Coming 
East  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  ophthalmology  and  surgery  at  the  New 
York  Polyclinic.  From  1875  to  1880  he  was  Surgeon  to  the  Cumberland 
Street  Hospital  Dispensary,  and  also  connected  with  the  Eastern  District 
Dispensary  chair  of  Surgery.  From  1881  to  1884  he  assisted  Dr.  David 
Webster  at  the  Manhattan  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital;  in  1885  was  appointed 
Visiting  Surgeon  to  the  Infants'  Hospital,  in  1887  Consulting  Surgeon  to  the 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  397 

Memorial  Hospital,  and  in  1895  Visiting  Surgeon  to  the  Court  Street  Hos- 
pital, whicli  latter  position  be  now  holds.  He  has  been  a  prolific  writer  on 
medical  subjects.  One  of  his  most  important  productions  was  an  essay 
which  appeared  in  1894,  giving  some  valid  reasons  in  opposition  to  imme- 
diate perinseraphv,  which  attracted  a  great  deal  of  critical  attention.  The 
New  York  "Journal  of  Obstetrics"  published  a  vast  number  of  statements  and 
opinions,  gathered  from  Maine  to  California,  in  criticism  of  the  essay.  He 
is  now  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  an  elaborate  work  on  the  surgery  and 
diseases  of  the  genito-urinary  organs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
and  Kings  County  Homeopathic  Societies,  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason, 
a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  for  many  years  an  active  member  in  the 
Eoyal  Arch. 

Charles  Lindley  Johnston,  M.D.,  a  physician  of  high  standing  in  the 
Borough  of  Brooklyn,  was  bom  in  Plattkill,  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  11, 
1858.  His  parents  were  Quakers,  David  Johnston,  his  father,  being  a  minis- 
ter of  that  denomination.  Dr.  Johnston's  ancestry  is  Scotch.  His  mother 
was  a  member  of  the  old  Clark  family  of  Cornwall-on-the-Hudson,  who  at  one 
time  owned  the  larger  part  of  that  township.  He  attended  the  district 
school  near  his  father's  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he 
went  to  Oakwood  Seminary,  at  Union  Springs,  N.  Y. ,  after  which  he  returned 
home,  and  continued  his  studies  under  private  teachers.  Later  at  Winthrop, 
Me.,  he  fitted  himself  for  the  study  of  medicine,  entering  the  Homeopathic 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  with  the  class  of  '84. 
After  graduation  he  went  abroad,  visiting  all  the  important  hospitals  of 
Europe,  and  pursuing  a  special  course  of  study  in  Vienna.  Keturning  to 
America  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Brooklyn,  where  his  ability 
and  success  in  his  chosen  calling  were  quickly  recognized,  and  where,  in 
1888,  he  married  Miss  Euth  H.  Battey,  of  that  City.  He  is  a  member  of 
many  medical  organizations,  among  them  the  American  Institute  of  Homeo- 
pathy, Homeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the 
Homeopathic  Medical  Society  of  Kings  County.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Visiting  Staff  of  the  Brooklyn  Maternity  and  the  Brooklyn  Homeopathic  and 
Hahnemann  Hospitals.  Dr.  Johnston  is  a  close  student,  a  wide  reader,  and 
a  writer  of  ability.  He  is  a  factor  in  the  social  as  well  as  in  the  professional 
affairs  of  his  adopted  City,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of 
Brooklyn. 

The  vitality  and  progressiveness  of  the  homeopathic  profession  in  New 
York  City  are  nowhere  more  conspicuous  than  in  the  character  of  those  mem- 
bers who  have  concentrated  their  attention  on  the  development  of  special 
departments  of  their  art.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  departments, 
on  account  of  the  attainments  of  its  devotees,  is  that  of  electro-therapeutics, 
which  is  represented  in  the  homeopathic  medical  colleges  by  some  of  the  most 
eminent  specialists  in  the  country.    A  distinguished  physician  in  this  branch 


398 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


of  the  profession  is  Dr.  Wm.  Harvey  King,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  who  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  National  Society  of  Electro-Therapeutics  in  1892, 
and  was  for  two  terms  its  President.  Dr.  King  is  the  son  of  George  King 
and  Sarah  M.  West,  and  was  born  in  Waverly,  N.  Y.,  February  21,  1861. 
Upon  finishing  a  high-school  education  he  came  directly  to  New  York,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College  in  1882. 
He  then  became  assistant  to  Prof.  S.  Powell  Burdick,  and  subsequently  was 
appointed  demonstrator  of  obstetrics  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical 
College.  For  three  years  he  was  Surgeon  to  the  Sixth  Avenue  Kailroad.  He 
soon  began  to  give  studious  attention  to  electro-therapeutics,  and  in  1887  he 
went  to  Paris  to  get  the  benefit  of  the  latest  scientific  discoveries  of  Europe. 
Upon  his  return  he  published  his  work  on  Electro-Therapeutics,  which  has 
gone  through  two  editions,  and  two  years  later  he  became  editor  of  the 
"Journal  of  Electro-Therapeutics, "  of  which  he  is  now  editor-in-chief.  In 
1893  he  was  appointed  to  the  professorship  of  Electro-Therapeutics  in  the 
New  Y^ork  Homeopathic  College,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is  also 
professor  of  Electro-Therapeutics  in  the  New  York  College  and  Hospital  for 
Women,  Consulting  Physician  to  the  Flower  Hospital,  and  was  connected 
with  the  Hahnemann  Hospital  for  several  years.  He  holds  membership  in 
the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  New  York  State  and  C  ounty  Medical 
Societies,  New  York  Electrical  Society,  and  National  Society  of  Electro- 
Therapeutics,  beside  several  other  societies,  both  medical  and  scientific. 

Alexander  Hamilton  Laidlaw,  M.D.,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  was  born  near 
Lanark,  Scotland,  July  11,  1828.  He  comes  from  distinguished  Scottish 
antecedents,  the  earliest  of  the  Laidlaw  line  having  been  a  member  of  Sir 
William  Douglass'  expedition  in  1360  to  carry  the  heart  of  King  Kobert  the 
Bruce  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  having  been  knighted  for  his  bravery.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  brought  to  America  when  but  four  years  of  age,  and 
when  old  enough  entered  the  Philadelphia  Central  High  School.  Young 
Laidlaw's  abilities  were  so  conspicuous  at  that  time  that  in  1842  Dr.  A.  D. 
Bache,  Superintendent  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey,  appointed  him  one 
of  the  eight  meteorological  observers.  At  the  same  time  he  concurrently 
studied  medicine  and  chemistry  under  Dr.  Henry  McMurtie  and  Prof.  J.  C. 
Booth,  and  was  graduated  in  1845.  He  then  studied  drawing  under  Eem- 
brandt  Peale,  entered  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  and  also  took 
a  course  in  banknote  engraving.  The  portraits  in  T.  B.  Bead's  "Female 
Poets  of  America,"  and  Thiers'  "History  of  the  Consulate  and  Empire,"  and 
many  of  the  scientific  plates  in  the  "Paleontology  of  the  State  of  New  York," 
are  from  his  tool.  In  1849  he  was  elected  professor  of  mathematics  and 
drawing  of  the  New  London,  Pa.,  Collegiate  Academy ;  in  1850  established 
an  academy  at  Port  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  and  in  1851  became  principal  of  the 
High  School  at  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa. ;  in  1852,  Principal  of  the  Oakland  Gram- 
mar School,  and  subsequently  Principal  of  the  Monroe  Grammar  School.  In 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  LAIDLAW. 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 


401 


1859  he  published  an  "American  Pronouncing  Dictionary  of  the  English 
Language. ' '  The  year  1867  again  found  him  a  superintendent  of  Public 
Schools,  which  position  he  held  for  many  years.  Meanwhile  his  medical 
practice  had  been  growing  so  rapidly  that  he  was  obliged  to  decline  the  Presi- 
dency of  Girard  College  and  devote  himself  more  exclusively  to  the  profession 
of  medicine,  which  he  had  maintained  concurrently  with  his  educational 
career.  In  1848-49  he  studied  hydropathy  under  Dr.  C.  C.  Schiefiferdecker, 
and  in  1851  began  several  years'  study  of  and  experimenting  with  hypnotism ; 
in  1852  he  gave  attention  to  electropathy,  and  a  few  years  later  attended  the 
Homeopathic  College  in  Philadelphia.  He  has  a  passion  for  investigation, 
and  an  intense  desire  to  get  at  the  truth  of  things,  and  has  never  hesitated  to 
discard  a  doctrine  which  he  could  not  conscientiously  adopt.  About  1859 
Dr.  Laidlaw  moved  to  New  York  and  founded  at  Washington  Heights  the  first 
private  hospital  for  the  cure  of  chronic  diseases,  which  opened  its  doors  for 
consultation  to  physicians  of  all  schools.  In  1862  the  hospital  was  removed 
to  Jersey  City  Heights,  but  returned  to  New  York  in  1885,  and  is  now  located 
at  137  West  Forty-first  Street.  In  1868  Dr.  Laidlaw  declined  the  chair  of 
Materia  Medica  in  the  Hahnemann  College  of  Chicago  in  favor  of  the  chair  of 
Anatomy  at  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College.  In  1865  he  married  Anna 
T.  Sites,  of  Philadelphia.  His  son,  Alexander  H.,  is  an  author  and  dramatist, 
and  his  son.  Dr.  George  F.,  is  a  well-known  pathologist  of  New  York. 

William  Willett  Moon,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  was  born  in  1868,  in 
Fallsington,  Pa. ,  and  was  educated  at  the  West  Town  Academy  and  in  the  De- 
partment of  Philosophy  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  also  studying 
medicine  two  years  in  the  latter  institution.  He  then  went  to  Burlington,  Vt., 
and  took  his  diploma  from  the  University  of  Vermont,  following  it  up  with  a 
study  of  homeopathy  at  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College.  For  some  time 
he  was  assistant  at  the  Hudson  Eiver  Insane  Asylum,  and  for  one  year  was 
at  the  Metropolitan  Hospital.  He  is  now  connected  with  the  Cumberland 
Street  Hospital  of  Brooklyn,  the  Howard  Avenue  Dispensary,  and  the  Twenty- 
sixth  Ward  Dispensary  of  Brooklyn.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kings  County 
Homeopathic  Medical  Society  and  other  professional  and  social  organiza- 
tions. His  practice  is  general,  but  he  makes  a  specialty  of  diseases  of  the 
eye  and  ear. 

Edward  Henry  Muncie,  M.D.,  was  born  in  Babylon,  L.  I.,  being  descended 
from  French  Huguenot  and  Dutch  ancestry.  During  his  youth  he  manifested 
two  distinct  predilections ;  one  for  art  work,  and  the  other  for  medicine.  By 
the  execution  of  portraits,  he  acquired  the  means  to  complete  his  medical 
education.  Upon  his  graduation  he  established  himself  in  Brooklyn,  and 
soon  acquired  a  lucrative  practice.  He  married  Libbie  Hamilton,  daughter 
of  the  late  Dr.  Eobert  Hamilton,  of  Brooklyn.  She  was  born  in  Jamaica, 
L.  I.,  and  inherited  her  father's  professional  inclination  to  such  an  extent 
that  after  four  years  of  married  life  she  entered  the  New  York  Medical  Coi- 


402 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


lege  and  Hospital  for  "Women,  and  three  years  later  graduated  with  the  highest 
honors  of  her  class.  With  her  degree,  "Doctor  of  Medicine, "  she  entered 
heartily  into  the  practice  of  medicine  with  her  husband.  Years  of  general 
practice  convinced  the  Drs.  Muncie  that  there  were  many  cases  of  chronic 
disease  that  would  not  yield  to  ordinary  methods  of  treatment;  and  after 
attending  a  special  course  in  Orificial  Surgery,  and  witnessing  the  marvelous 
results  attained  through  that  method,  they  put  it  to  a  practical  test  in  many 
of  their  chronic  cases.  The  results  were  so  gratifying  that  it  soon  became 
necessary  to  erect  a  large  building  for  the  purpose  of  thus  treating  the  in- 
creasing number  of  those  coming  to  them  for  help.  This  institution,  known 
as  the  Muncie  Sanatorium,  is  located  at  117  and  119  Macon  Street,  corner  of 
Marcy  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  It  is  thoroughly  equipped  for  the  line  of 
work  intended,  and  its  success  has  been  even  greater  than  was  anticipated. 
Finding  the  heat  of  the  summer  months  an  obstacle  to  their  work  during  that 
portion  of  the  year,  and  being  cognizant  of  the  tonic  effect  of  sea  air,  the 
Drs.  Muncie,  two  years  later,  erected  the  Muncie  Surf  Sanatorium  on  Muncie 
Island  in  the  Great  South  Bay,  near  the  ocean,  opposite  Babylon,  Long 
Island,  N.  Y.  The  main  building  is  a  three  story  structure,  100  x  40  feet, 
with  an  extension  for  kitchen,  laundry,  and  sleeping  apartments  for  help. 
On  the  south  and  east  it  commands  a  fine  prospect  of  the  ocean.  Fire  Island 
lighthouse  and  inlet;  while  on  the  north  and  west  stretches  out  the  Great 
South  Bay.  This  location  affords  a  sea  breeze  from  every  quarter,  and  the 
opportunity  for  surf  and  still  water  bathing,  fishing,  boating,  etc.  The  sur- 
roundings create  an  increased  appetite  and  improved  digestion,  and  the  life- 
giving  elements  impart  a  tonic  to  the  whole  system.  The  Surf  Sanatorium  is 
open  from  June  15  to  September  15.  At  each  annual  opening  of  this  insti- 
tution a  clinic  is  held  for  one  week,  by  Professor  E.  H.  Pratt,  A.M.,  M.D., 
LL.D.,  of  Chicago,  for  the  purpose  of  affording  eastern  physicians  an  oppor- 
tunity of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  Orificial  Surgery.  An  amphitheater  which 
will  seat  more  than  200,  is  constructed  at  the  end  of  the  main  building  for 
this  purpose.  While  special  attention  is  given  to  surgery  in  its  relation  to 
chronic  diseases  in  these  institutions,  different  methods  of  treatment  are  em- 
ployed as  indicated;  such  as  medicines,  static,  faradic,  and  galvanic  electricity, 
bathing,  massage,  etc.  Patients  are  provided  with  the  comforts  of  a  home, 
and  the  conveniences  of  a  sanatorium.  During  the  past  years  orificial  sur- 
gery has  been  receiving  more  and  more  attention  in  medical  works.  Follow- 
ing are  a  few  extracts  from  Dr.  Charles  S.  Elliott's  works  on  "Nervous  and 
Mental  Diseases, ' '  bearing  on  this  branch  of  the  work  of  the  Doctors  Muncie. 
"In  any  chronic  case  where  the  face  is  pale  and  sallow,  the  skin  flabby,  hands 
and  feet  cold,  the  whole  system  torpid,  and  the  mind  dull,  orificial  measures 
will  induce  a  healthy  capillary  circulation,  and,  in  course  of  time,  will  cure  the 
case.  There  is  no  form  of  chronic  disease  to  which  it  is  applicable  that  it 
will  not  cure.    Nervous  prostration  means  excess  of  nervous  irritation,  and  the 


I 


MrXCJK  SUUl'-  SAXATORir.\r. 
Great  South  Bay,  Near  the  Ocean.  Opposite  BAB^  lon.  L.  I. 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 


405 


irritation  usually  originates  from  local  causes.  ...  In  tlie  liglit  of  orificial 
philosophy,  incurable  cases  are  not  so  incurable  as  they  have  previously  been 
supposed  to  be.  .  .  .  Orificial  philosophy  is  invulnerable  as  a  theory,  thor- 
oughly practical  in  its  application,  and  destined  to  make  an  era  in  the  treat- 
ment of  chronic  diseases.  .  .  .  Orificial  philosophy,  the  greatest  truth  of 
the  present  generation,  has  come  to  stay,  and  will  revolutionize  the  entire 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  treatment  of  chronic  diseases.  .  .  .  Thorough 
orificial  work  is  the  key  to  the  prison  house  of  the  chronicalh'  diseased, 
■whereby  the  sufferers  are  set  free.  .  .  .  The  teachings  of  orificial  philosophy 
are  so  plain,  practical  and  effective  that  they  are  bound  to  revolutionize  the 
entire  treatment  of  chronic  diseases.  .  .  .  The  key  to  the  cure  of  chronic 
diseases  is  the  re-establishment  of  the  sympathetic  nerve  power.  ...  No 
treatment  will  equal  in  any  degree  all  around  orificial  work  for  the  cure  of 
that  great  American  bugbear,  'Nervous  Prostration.'  There  are  thousands 
on  every  hand  who  are  going  into  their  graves  each  year  for  the  want  of 
orificial  surgery  properly  applied. ' ' 

Homer  Irvin  Ostrom,  M.D.,  of  Manhattan,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
surgeons  in  the  homeopathic  school,  and  the  descendant  of  a  long  line  of 
ancestors  celebrated  at  the  bar,  in  the  church  and  in  medicine,  was  born  in 
Goshen,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  February  16,  1852.  After  a  private 
school  education,  he  entered  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College  in 
1871,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1873.  He  at  once,  in  the 
face  of  the  most  discouraging  conditions,  decided  to  settle  in  New  Y'ork,  as 
the  place  that  offered  the  best  opportunities  for  acquiring  the  knowledge  nec- 
essary for  the  practice  of  surgery.  First  grounding  himself  with  the  exper- 
ience of  a  general  practice,  he  gradually  concentrated  his  attention  on  opera- 
tive surgery,  in  the  pursuit  of  which  he  spent  several  successive  summers  in 
Europe  studying  the  foreign  methods  of  surgical  practice.  He  has  thus  be- 
come a  most  brilliant  general  operator,  with  a  special  reputation  for  and 
success  in  abdominal  surgery.  He  is  a  skillful  and  rapid  manipulator,  and 
in  his  operations  he  uses  very  few  instruments,  many  of  which  are  of  his  own 
invention,  as  might  be  expected  from  a  man  of  original  thought  and  indepen- 
dence. He  is  a  believer  in  aseptic,  rather  than  in  antiseptic  surgery,  and  all 
his  operations  are  conducted  upon  the  strictest  asei^tic  principles.  His  views 
regarding  appendicitis  are  looked  upon  as  rather  radical,  believing,  to  quote 
from  one  of  his  recent  papers  on  the  subject,  that  "when  we  have  determined 
the  diagnosis  of  (appendicitis),  we  have  determined  the  time  to  operate." 
His  success  in  this  operation  enables  him  to  say  that  the  risk  of  removing 
the  appendix  is  less  than  the  risk  of  leaving  it  in  the  abdomen.  His  contri- 
butions to  medical  literature  on  this  subject  are  considered  as  authoritative. 
His  operations  on  the  stomach,  gall,  bladder,  liver,  the  uterus  and  its  append- 
ages have  been  remarkable ;  his  ovariotomies,  including  oophorectomies, 
showing  a  mortality  of  but  two  per  cent.,  and  his  abdominal  hysterectomies 


406 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


but  four  per  cent.  The  larger  proportion  of  Lis  operations  are  performed  at 
liis  private  hospital,  which  is  one  of  the  most  complete  of  its  kind  in  New 
York.  He  is  a  frequent  contributor  on  surgical  subjects  to  medical  litera- 
ture, and  has  written  a  "Treatise  on  the  Breast  and  its  Surgical  Diseases," 
and  a  monograph  on  "Epithelioma  of  the  Mouth."  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  the  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society, 
the  New  York  County  Medical  Society,  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society,  the 
Academy  of  Pathological  Science,  the  Obstetrical  Society,  the  Clinical  Club, 
and  is  one  of  the  few  American  Fellows  of  the  British  Gynfecological  Society. 
He  is  Professor  of  Abdominal  Surgery  in  the  Metropolitan  Post  Graduate 
School  of  Medicine,  and  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Metropolitan  Hospital 
Polyclinic  of  New  York  City.  He  is  also  Visiting  Surgeon  of  the  Metropoli- 
tan City  Hospital.  In  1877  he  married  Miss  Sara  Conant,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  the  late  Claudius  B.  Conant,  and  has  one  daughter  and  one 
son.  During  recent  years  Dr.  Ostrom  and  his  family  have  traveled  exten- 
sively, both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  and  have  thus  been  able  to  collect 
books,  pictures,  and  curios,  which  adorn  their  charming  home  and  add  to 
the  pleasure  of  the  hospitality  which  they  dispense  with  a  liberal  hand. 

Henry  Green  Preston,  M.D.,  son  of  Dr.  Henry  C.  Preston  and  Abby  Louise 
Green,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  July  31,  1847.  His  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Col.  Samuel  Green,  editor  of  the  "  New  London  Gazette, "  the 
first  paper  published  in  America.  Dr.  Preston  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  in  1861,  and  subsequently  entered  Belle- 
vue  Hospital,  New  York,  from  which  he  received  his  diploma  in  1869.  He 
practiced  for  eighteen  months  in  St.  John's,  establishing  the  first  public  Dis- 
pensary in  Canada.  He  then  went  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  founded  a 
Dispensary  of  which  he  was  the  first  Surgeon.  The  next  year  he  inaugurated 
a  Hospital,  of  which  he  was  Surgeon-in-Chief  for  four  years.  He  took  a 
prominent  position  in  his  profession  in  the  State  Capital,  and  during  the 
years  1873  and  1874  was  President  of  the  Albany  County  Homeopathic  Medi- 
cal Society.  In  1876  he  moved  to  Brooklyn,  taking  charge  of  a  clinic  in  the 
Court  Street  Dispensary.  For  one  year  he  was  attending  physician  to  the 
Brooklyn  Maternity  Hospital  and  lecturer  on  special  diseases  to  the  nurses 
for  one  year.  He  then  became  Medical  Director  of  St.  Martha's  Sanitarium, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators,  and  is  now  Medical  Director  of  the 
Non-Sectarian  Hospital  and  Home  for  Epilpetics.  His  practice  is  devoted 
largely  to  electro-therapeutics  and  diseases  of  women.  He  is  President  of  the 
Long  Island  Country  Club,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators.  He 
is  also  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Oxford  Club,  and  member  of  the 
New  York  State,  Kings  County,  and  Albany  County  Medical  Societies,  and  of 
the  Albany  Institute. 

Walter  S.  Eink,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  son  of  William  Kink  and 
Amanda  Emily  Ballard,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  August  5,  1862.  After 


WALTER  S.  RINK.  ORANDO  S.  RITCH. 


I 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 


409 


passing  througli  the  public  school,  and  receiving  a  higher  course  in  the  Cum- 
berland Valley  Institute,  he  studied  medicine  in  the  Hahnemann  Medical 
College  of  Philadelphia,  and  took  his  diploma  in  1885.  Soon  after  his  grad- 
uation he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  House  Staff  of  the  Brooklyn 
Homeopathic  Hospital,  which  position  he  held  for  some  time,  and  eventually 
moved  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  has  held  many  responsible  positions  in  connec- 
tion with  the  homeopathic  institutions  of  the  City.  For  ten  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  dispensary  work  of  the  Brooklyn  Homeopathic  Hospital, 
and  for  several  years  has  been  Visiting  Physician  to  the  Brooklyn  Maternity 
Hospital  and  the  Brooklyn  Home  for  Consumptives.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Kings  County  Medical  Society,  and  was  Secretary  of  the  same  from  1891 
until  1898.  He  conducts  a  general  practice,  but  makes  a  specialty  of  diseases 
of  the  chest.  He  has  won  much  of  his  reputation  by  the  accurate  diagnosis 
of  obscure  and  doubtful  cases,  as  well  as  the  successful  treatment  of  his 
patients.  His  familarity  with  the  best  methods  of  modern  treatment  have 
made  his  lectures  to  the  nurses  in  the  Training  School  at  the  Maternity  Hos- 
pital especially  valuable.  Dr.  Eink  was  maried  in  1891  to  Ellen  Louise 
Archer,  and  has  one  daughter.  He  lives  at  295  Halsey  Street,  in  the  heart  of 
the  residence  district  of  Brooklyn. 

Amos  M.  Kitch,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  is  the  son  of  Willis  M.  Eitch 
and  Elizabeth  Henderson  Eitch,  and  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Conn.,  April  2G, 
1861.  After  receiving  a  public  school  education  he  spent  seven  years  in  a 
banking  house  in  Wall  Street,  New  York.  As  he  emerged  from  his  teens,  the 
life  in  that  busy  financial  centre  grew  less  attractive  to  him,  and  the  benevolent 
and  scientific  aspects  of  the  medical  profession  appealed  to  him  so  strongly 
that  he  entered  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College,  and  was  graduated  in 
1886.  In  the  dozen  years  that  have  elapsed,  he  has  taken  a  prominent  posi- 
tion among  the  younger  generation  of  physicians  in  New  York  City.  For  a 
year  he  was  House  Pharmacist  in  the  Cumberland  Street  (Brooklyn)  Dispen- 
sary, and  for  about  the  same  length  of  time  was  Ambulance  Surgeon.  He  has 
for  the  past  few  years  been  connected  with  the  Central  and  Gates  Avenue  Dis- 
pensaries. He  conducts  a  general  practice,  but  his  special  skill  is  in  the 
department  of  gynaecology.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kings  County  and  New 
York  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Societies,  the  Union  League  Club,  A.  L.  H., 
Eoyal  Arcanum,  Odd  Fellows,  Foresters,  Heptasophs,  Mutual  Benefit  Loan 
and  Building  Association,  Twenty-third  Eegiment,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  and  many  other  organizations,  including  four  or  five  loan  associa- 
tions. In  a  majority  of  these  he  holds  some  responsible  position  as  Medical 
Examiner,  Treasurer  or  Director.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.    On  April  24,  1889,  Dr.  Eitch  married  Florence  Newman  Tyte. 

St.  Clair  Smith,  M.D.,  who  stands  among  the  few  foremost  homeopathic 
physicians  of  Manhattan  Borough,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mentz  (now 
Throop),  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  March  15,  1846,  and  received  in  addition 


410 


New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 


to  his  common  scbooliug  an  academic  education  in  Auburn  and  Aurora.  In 
1867  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical 
College,  graduating  in  1869.  He  then  became  Eesident  Physician  at  the  Five 
Points  House  of  Industry,  and  in  the  Fall  of  1870  he  moved  to  Brooklyn, 
and  became  the  first  Resident  Physician  to  the  Brooklyn  Maternity.  Eeturn- 
iug  to  New  York  in  1872,  he  formed  a  professional  connection  with  Dr. 
Timothy  Allen,  which  was  maintained  for  eight  years.  During  the  first  five 
years  of  this  period  he  was  lecturer  on  Materia  Medica  at  the  New  York 
Homeopathic  Medical  College.  During  the  winters  of  1878-79  and  1879-80 
he  was  Professor  of  Physiology  in  the  New  York  Medical  College  for  Women, 
and  in  the  winters  of  1879-80  and  1880-81  filled  the  corresponding  position 
in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College.  He  then  took  in  succession 
in  the  last  named  institution  the  chairs  of  Diseases  of  Children,  Materia 
Medica  and  Theory  and  Practice,  which  latter  position  he  still  holds.  From 
1881  to  1891  he  was  Visiting  Physician  to  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry, 
and  from  1891  to  the  present  time  has  been  Superintendent  and  Consulting 
Physician  of  the  same.  Few  New  York  physicians  in  their  professional  life 
span  as  completely  as  Dr.  Smith  the  social  scale,  from  the  principal  families 
of  the  town  in  his  private  practice  to  the  humblest  charity  patients  of  the 
East  Side.  So  well  known  is  his  welcome  figure  in  the  Five  Points  section 
that  for  years  he  bore  a  charmed  life  in  that  region  at  a  time  when  ordinary 
citizens  hesitated  to  trust  themselves  within  its  precincts  unaccompanied  after 
nightfall.  While  excelling  in  diagnosis,  in  his  knowledge  of  Materia  Medica, 
and  in  obstetrical  practice.  Dr.  Smith  makes  no  specialty  of  any  branch  of 
his  in-ofession,  but  remains  one  of  the  few  general  family  practitioners  of  the 
City.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  the  State 
and  County  Medical  Societies,  and,  outside  of  his  profession,  of  the  Colonial, 
Arion  and  Players'  Clubs.  As  a  member  of  the  latter,  he  has  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance among  the  histrionic  profession,  and  a  vast  fund  of  anecdote  about  the 
leading  figures  in  the  mimic  world.  In  1880  Dr.  Smith  married  Kate, 
daughter  of  Ferdinand  Zogbaum,  and  has  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Mrs. 
Smith  is  a  sister  of  Rufus  F.  Zogbaum,  the  artist. 

Charles  E.  Teets,  M.D.,  of  Manhattan  Borough,  son  of  David  Teets,  a  New 
York  business  man,  and  Caroline  Moore,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  August 
10,  1852,  and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools.  In  1879, 
he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  1881  entered  the  New  York 
Homeopathic  College,  graduating  in  1884.  As  soon  as  he  began  practice,  he 
was  appointed  Visiting  Physician  of  the  College  Dispensary  and  Wilson  Mis- 
sion. In  1885  he  entered  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital,  and  took  a 
special  course  in  diseases  of  the  throat  and  nose.  In  1886  he  was  appointed 
Clinical  Assistant,  later  Assistant  Surgeon,  and  in  June,  1894,  Surgeon  of 
the  Department.  He  now  holds  the  positions  of  Professor  of  Laryngology 
and  Rhinology  in  the  College  of  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital;  Surgeon 


CHARLES  E.  TEETS. 


AUGUSTUS  VON  DER  LUHE. 


Homeopathic  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 


413 


in  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital  and  Larjngologist  and  Khinologist  to 
the  Metropolitan  Hospital  (Blackwell's  Island),  and  for  three  years  was  Pro- 
fessor of  Laryngology  and  Khinology  in  the  Metropolitan  Post  Graduate 
School.  He  is  Professor  of  Khinology  and  Laryngology  of  the  Metropolitan 
Hospital  Polyclinic ;  Laryngologist  and  Khinologist  to  the  Hahnemann  Hos- 
pital, and  was  appointed  in  June,  1897,  to  the  Chair  of  Laryngology  and 
Khinology  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College.  He  has  been  a 
prolific  writer  on  subjects  relating  to  the  nose  and  throat,  and  was  formerly 
associate  editor  of  the  "Journal  of  Ophthalmology  and  Laryngology."  He  is 
one  of  the  very  few  physicians  of  the  homeopathic  school  who  is  a  specialist 
in  the  restricted  sense  of  the  word,  and  confines  his  practice  exclusively  to 
diseases  of  the  nose  and  throat.  He  has  devised  a  number  of  ingenious 
instruments  for  the  nose  and  throat,  including  nasal  forceps,  palate  retractor, 
nasal  applicator,  etc.  Among  the  organizations  to  which  he  belongs  are  the 
American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  the  State  and  County  Homeopathic 
Societies,  the  Materia  Medica  Society,  and  the  American  Homeopathic, 
Ophthalmological,  Otological  and  Laryngological  Societies. 

Augustus  von  der  Liihe,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  was  born  in  Cherry- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  January  4,  1850.  His  mother  was  Margaret  Speier,  and  his 
father,  Carl  von  der  Liihe,  was  a  physician  of  prominence  and  many  years' 
practice.  When  Augustus  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  the  family  moved  to 
Huntington,  L.  I.,  where  his  common  school  education  was  supplemented  by 
a  course  in  the  Huntington  High  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1869. 
Upon  leaving  his  school  books,  he  determined  to  adopt  his  father's  profes- 
sion, and  after  spending  a  year  (1869-70)  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Julius  Berg- 
haus,  entered  the  University  of  New  York  in  1870.  He  graduated  in  1872, 
and  has  practiced  in  Brooklyn  ever  since  taking  his  degree.  His  specialty  is 
the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs,  in  which  he  is  very  suc- 
cessful. He  was  Attending  Physician  to  the  Eastern  District  Homeopathic 
Dispensary  for  twelve  years,  during  which  period  he  had  charge  of  the  Heart 
and  Lung  Clinic ;  and  he  is  a  life  member  of  the  Eastern  District  Dispensary 
Association.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been  District  Examiner  for  the 
Knights  of  St.  John  of  Malta,  and  for  seventeen  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Koyal  Arcanum.  Among  the  professional  organizations  of  which  he  is  a 
member,  are  the  New  York  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society  and  the  Kings 
County  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  of  which  latter  he  was  at  one  time  Vice- 
President.  In  1880  he  married  Susan  E.  Wood,  daughter  of  William  Wood, 
of  Brooklyn.  His  sister  Amelia  von  der  Liihe  also  shares  the  predilection  of 
her  father,  and  is  a  practicing  physician.  Since  his  father's  death,  1878, 
his  mother  has  followed  the  medical  profession. 

Charlotte  H.  Woolley,  M.D.,  of  Brooklyn  Borough,  the  daughter  of  Reuben 
Harned  and  Sarah  Thompson  and  granddaughter  of  William  Thompson  of 
Woodbridge,  N.  J. ,  comes  of  Kevolutionary  ancestry  and  is  a  native  of  Kahway, 


4U  New  York:  The  Second  City  of  the  World. 

N.  J.  Possessing  a  strong  liking  and  aptitude  for  the  medical  profession,  she 
entered  the  New  York  Medical  College  Hospital  for  Women,  and  graduated  in 
1887,  and  was  appointed  House  Physician.  For  two  years  she  held  a  responsi- 
ble position  in  the  Dispensary,  and  for  one  year  was  a  member  of  the  Hospital 
Sta£F.  For  nearly  two  years  she  conducted  a  private  dispensary  for  women, 
and  in  1895  removed  to  Brooklyn.  There  she  became  connected  with  the 
Memorial  Dispensary  and  the  Eastern  District  Dispensary,  with  both  of  which 
she  is  still  connected,  and  holds  clinics  on  heart  and  lung  diseases.  Her 
practice  is  general,  with  a  special  predilection  for  diseases  of  women.  Among 
the  organizations  to  which  she  belongs  are  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society, 
the  New  York  County  Medical  Society,  and  the  Hahnemann  Association. 
She  is  related  to  Dr.  Clemence  Lozier,  founder  of  the  New  York  Medical  Col- 
lege and  Hospital  for  Women,  through  her  father,  who  was  a  cousin  of  Dr. 
Lozier.  There  are  also  several  physicians  in  her  mother's  family,  and  two 
brothers  were  druggists. 


INDEX  OF  INDIVIDUAL  NAMES. 

•'Indicates  Biographical  Notice.    §Indicates  Portrait. 


A 

Abraham.  A  T9,  81§.  84*   88  107 

Acer.  Frank  A  216*,  21  .| 

Acton,  Thomas  C  WV,?! 

Adams,  Campbell  W..52,  54.  127,  134»,  155 

Adams,    Caroline  134 

Adams,  Daniel  W  292 

Adams,  John  355 

Adams,  John  Q  21fi 

Adams,   Samuel  355 

Adams,  Samuel  G  216»,  217§ 

Adams,  William  134 

Adce,  David   79 

AgrugUo,  John  333 

Allen,  Daniel  B  344 

Allen,  David  382 

Allen,  Bmma  T.  P  3i8 

Allen,  Ethan  270 

Allen,  Franklin  341,  844*,  3455 

Allen,  Herbert  C  378 

Allen.  J.  W  A  i 

Allen,  Mrs.  Jerome  3(6,  378 

Allen,  John  H  344* 

Allen,  Timothy  F  370,  371,  872.  376. 

382*,  410 

Ailing,   Asa  A  217S,  219* 

Ailing,  J.  Sackett  210 

Alsgood,  John  M   79 

Alwalse,  John  144 

Alwalse,  Rebecca  J  144 

Ames.  Frederick  F  122 

Andrews,  Corp.  Counsel  270 

Angel.  James  R  217?,  220* 

Angel,  William  G  220 

Annan,  Edward  328 

Anthes,  Charles  224 

Anthes.  Helena  C  224 

Anthon,   George  C  368 

Anyon,  James  T  838 

Archer,  Ellen  Louise  409 

Armstrong,  Harriet  A  269 

Armstrong,  John  320 

lArmetrong.   William  269 

Arnold,  Ftank  W  378 

Arnold.  J.  H.  V  191*,  347 

Arnold,  John  M  347 

Arnold,  Maria  T  347 

Arnold.  Thomas  347 

Arnold,  Thomas  E  345§.  347* 

Arthur,  C.  A  115.  143,  160,  277 

Arthur,  James  Worrall  371 

Ashwln,  Edwin  ;  378 

Aspinall,    Senator  Joseph   76 

Astor.  William  358 

Aten.  Charles  H  383 

Aten,  H.  F  383,  384 

Aten,  Mrs.  Henry  F  377 

Aten,  William  H  377,  383*,  885§ 

Atkinson,  W.  H   97 

Atwood,   Anthony  384 

Atwood,  Joseph  384 

Atwood.  J.  Freeman.... 376.  377.  384*.  3855 
Austin.  George  C  105,  112*,  151| 

Avery,"  Charles. .Z84 

Avery,  Edward  W  3""  '  " 

Ayres,  Rebecca  J  

B 

Babbitt.  B.  T  347 

Backus,  Charles  C  220 

Backus,  Foster  L  108 

Backus,  Henry  C  220*,  221§ 

Bacon,  Selden  300 

Badeau,  Adam  262 

Bagg.  C.  L  371,  372 

Baggott,  V.  B  224*.  225§,  300 

Bagot,  Thomas  338,  339  341 

Bailey,  Mr  107 

Bailey,  DeWitt  37« 

Balrd.  Andrew  D   79 

Baker,    David  372 

Baker,  Edith  R  224 

Baker,  Jennie  V.  H  376.  377 

Baker,   Ransom  224 

Baker,  Seward  224*,  225? 

Baldwin,  William  H,  Jr  342 

Ball,  Alonzo  S  370 

Ballard,  Amanda  E  406 

Bangs.  Francis  S  342 

Barlow,  Samuel  Bancroft  370 

Barnard,   Judge  334 

Barnard,  F.  A.  P  137 

Barnes,  A.  S  362 

Barnes.  Demas   ^^ 

Barnett.  David   79 

Barr,  Edward  101 

BarreU,  Judge  362 


Bartram,  John  W. . 


Beekman,  Henry  R. 

Behrends,  Mrs.  A.' '  j.' 
Belcher,  George  E.. 
Bender,  Joseph  


Robert  269 

Bennett,  Charles  G  300 

Benney,   Maria  2C9 

Benson.  Egbert  2(6 


Bidwell.  W.  : 


Blschoft,  Henrj-  22' 


Bishop,   John  14- 


Blackford,  Mary  A.. 
Blackman,  W.  W... 


Blair,  Sarah  5 


lanchard,  George  R  342 


Blatchford,    Samuel  266 


Bogart,  Harman  Myndert; 


,Jg    Bogart,  John  52*,  5.1 


in,  Ijorenzo  W. . 
es.  Richard  M . . . 


Booth,  J.  C 

Both';  Charies .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '.  341 

Botty,  Henry  C  229§.  231* 

Bowers,  Benjamin  F  370 

Bowers,  Lloyd 


Bowley,   Edward  176 

Bowley,  Frederick  175* 


Bradley.  Justice  243 

Brady,   Judge  299 

Brainerd,  Cephas  355 

Bragg,  Henry  T  345§,  348* 

Bragg,  Henry  T.,  Sr  348 


Brinckerhoft,  Jores  D   54 

Brissel.  Miss  C.  F  377 

Bristow,  Benjamin  H  328 

Britten,  A.  P  101 

Broadnax,   Amos  231 

Breaker,  Frank  339,  349»,  351§ 

Brodsky,  Assemblyman  John   73 

Brooks,  C.  F   79 

Brown,  Addison  311 

Brown,  Charles  A  378 

Brown,  Charles  M  loS 

Brown,  Mrs.  W.  A.  A  377 

Brown.  U.^  Belle  376 

Brush'^  George^W ......[..............  .105 

Bryant,  Serena  348 

Br>-ant,  W.  C  108,  ^19 

Bryant.  William  Cullen  370 

Buck,  Mrs.  A.  L  377 

Buck,   Dudley  236 

Buckingham,  Charles  L  229§,  328* 

Buckner,  Simon  B  295 

Buel,  David.  Jr  331 

Buel,  Oliver  P  331* 

Bull,  J.  Edgar  231*,  233S 

Bull.  Richard  H  231 

Bulmer,  George  W  378,  387*,  389§ 

Bulmer.  James  3S7 

Burdlck,  S.  Powell  398 

Burger.  Henry  T   79 

Burlingame,  1£.  D  227 

Burnett.  Katharine  D  378 

Bums.  W.  A   79 

Burr,  Aaron  17,  203§,  205 

Burrlll,  James   56 

Burtis,  John  H  109 

Burtis.  Mrs.  J.  H  376,  377 

Butler,  Rev.  Dr  248 

Butler,  B.  F  206.  207* 

Butler,  William  A  317 

Butler,   William  M  375,  376 

Butterfleld,    Daniel  S  116 

Byers,   S.  A   79 

B>Tne.  James  2,35 

c 

Caldwell,  Frank  E  376 

Calhoun,  Robert  232 

Calhoun,  William  3.38 

Cammeyer,  Amelia  R  355 

Camp,   Rlisha  232 

Camp,  Elisha  B  232 

Camp.  Elisha  K  232*.  233§ 

Campbell,  Alice  B  376 

Cannon,  James  G  342 

Cantor.  Jacob  A  73,  74 

Cantrell,  R.  B   79 

Capen,  Julia  E  148 

Cardozo,  Judge  334 

Cardozo.  Jacob  L  378 

Carleton.  Bukk  G  372,  388*,  389| 

Carleton,  Edmund  376 

Carleton,    Will  166 

Carpenter,  .Schoolmaster  278 

Carpentler,  James  S  262,  292 

Carrere,  L.  Sidney  232*,  233§ 

Carter,  Colin  S  238 

Carter,  James  C..101,  212,  213§,  215', 

2S7,  333 

Carter,  Leslie  T  236 

Carter,   Robert  235 

Carter,  Solomon  215 

Carter,  Thomas  215 

Carter,  Walter  F  236 

Carter,  Walter  S  233§  235*, 

Case,  David  K  236',  237§ 

Case.  Edward  3.55 

Case.  Whitfield  236 

Cassldy.  Georgia  A  376,  377 

Cathcart,  George  R  62,  54*,  70 

Cavanagh,    Colonel   67 

Chamberlain,  D.  H  235 

Chambers,  James  236*,  237i( 

Channlng,    William  370 

Chapin,  Alfred  C  60,  80 

Chapin,  Edward  375 

Chaplain.  F.  D  377 

Chapman.  Elverton  R  248 

Chapman,  Richard  M  339,  340,  349,  350 

Charlemagne   395 

Charles  II  195,  197 

Chase,  Norton  137 

Chauncey,   Daniel   47 

Chauncey,  George  W  76.  79.  87*  90,  110 

Chesebrough,  Margaret  285 

Chetwood!  William  227 

Child.  Frederick  W  350* 

Child,  E.  N  147 


415 


Child,  Olive  F  147 

Chittenden,  Simeon  B   47 

Cisco,  John  G   47 

Choate,  Joseph  H...47,  212*,  213§.  210,  335 

Choate,    Rufus  212 

Christian,  William  H  134 

Christiansen,  O.  T   !H 

Church,  George  H  ".3S 

Clark,  Alonzo  3,S4 

Clark,  Joseph  R  lO.S,  Itii! 

Clark,  Lot  C   59 

Clark,  Matilda  .3.34 

Clark.  M.  Elizabeth  376 

Clark,  T.  W  371 

Clarke.  Andrew  A  339.  340,  3(>1 

Clarke,  George  W  371 

Clarke,  Marshall  B  235 

Clausen,  G.  W  378 

Cleaveland,  J.  0  101,  110 

Cleveland,  Grover.  .27,  78,  178,  215,  247, 

262,  266,  278,  303 

Clinch.  Edward  S  237§,  2.39* 

Clinton,  DeWitt  144 

Clinton,    George  20^ 

Clinton,   William  392 

Cochran,  W    Bourke    ...219 

Cody,    Margaret  304 

Coe,   George  S  359 

Coffin,  Henry   47 

Cohen,  Adolph  2376,  239* 

Cohen,  J.  P  ...Ill 

Colt.    William   47 

Colden.  Cad  walla  der  205  367 

Coleman,  John  C  240',  245§ 

Conant,  Claudius  B  406 

Conant,  J.  Edwin  350 

Conant.  Leonard  H  339,  341,  350*,  ,351§ 

Conant,  Roger  350 

Conant,  Sarah   ^(y-, 

Conkling.    Roscoe..l50,    153,    206!  "20S*! 

209§,  232,  287 

Conner,  W.  C   255 

Connolly.  Comptroller   ^6 

Connolly,  Martha  B   137 

Cook,  Henry  R.  M  340  342 

Coombs,  Mrs.  Charles  L  377 

Coombs,  W  J  

Cooper,  Edward  ".27"  "SG 

Corbln.  Austin  '304 

Cornell.  Alonzo  B  27   150  153 

Cornell,  C.  W  .'.371'  372 

Cornwallis.   Lord   31..5 

Corrigan,  M.  A  „.  281 

Cort,  Lottie  A  '.376"377 

g°^w^n.  H.  S.  341,  342,  351§,  '353* 

Costello,   Michael'.'.'.'.'.'. lis 

Coster.  Miss  .'.'. 278 

Cottingham,  Lewis  N...... 06 

Coudert,  Charles  !!!!.'.'  "215 

Coudert,  Charles    Jr  215 

Coudert,  Frederick  R  2i2,"2l'3§','215* 

Coudert,  Louis  L   215 

Cowing,  Rufus  B  371 

col:  ^Zl!: :::::::::: 

Cox,  Rowland                               jji'is  oi?* 

Crandall.  Elbert  !;!;243*'  2455 

Cranmer,  Miss                                  '  "^ai 

Cravath,  Paul  D  ! '. ! '. ! '. '. '. !  i ! '. '235 

Creamer,  P.  D   79 

Crulkshank,  Candidate  '. '. 171 

Cromwell.  George   177 

Cromwell.  William  B  '.'.'.! 375 

Cuinet.  L.  A                                     "  '377 

Cummings,  William  H   79 

curley,  J  ■;  \^ 

Curtis.    Ephraim  ...!!'.!'.!"'!  56 

Curtis.   George   56 

Curtis,  George  William  '.'.'.'.'.'s'Z"  56* 

Curtis,  Joseph  Thomas   370 

Curtius,  Alexander  C   367 

Cuyler,  Theodore  L  101,  108 

D 

Dailey,  Abram  J  109 

Daly,  Joseph  F   177 

Dana,  Charles  A  !!335 

Danforth,  L.  L   371 

Daniels,  John  L  ',  '  '372 

Dauchy,  Miss  Delia  '377 

Davenport,  Mrs.  H  B   378 

Davenport,  J.  B  '  79 

David,  Francis  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .287 

Davies,  W.  Sanders    339 

Davis.  Hatlie  1  !.!]223 

Davis,'  Noah .'.■.'.■.■.■.■.■.'.■.'.■.' .' .' .' .'.':::;::::  .'335 
^!^-S;JL:\y.— iff 

Dean,  David  J   149 

Dearborn,  H.  M....371,  372,  376.  s'ss*. ' 389§ 

Decker,  Daniel  S   244*  24."iS 

Delano,  Mr  ' '  383 

Demarest,  Mrs.  George  F  ',76 

Demarest.  John  H  371 


Demorest,  William  J  324 

Denison,  R.  H  377 

Dennis,  Rodney  S  341 

Dennison.   Governor  273 

Denton,  O.  M   79 

Depew,  Chauncey  M  102,  124*.  282 

DePeyster,  Abraham  205 

Deschere,  Martin  371.  372 

De  Veaux,  Frederick   55 

Devoe.  Frederick  W  52,  55*,  n7§ 

Devoe.  John   £5 

Devol,  Edmund  M  378 

Dewey,  Melvll  340,  .342 

DeWitt,    Charles  144 

DeWitt,   John  144 

DeWitt,   Simeon   31 

DeWitt,  William  C..127.  135§,  144*,  149, 

Dick.  J.  Henry  '■  ■  79 

Dick,    William   79 

Dickey,  George  lor> 

Dickinson   236 

Dillon,  John  F....127.  135§,   138*,  149, 

153,  155 

Dlsbrow,  Theodore  C   79 

Dittenhoefer,  A.  J  245§,  247* 

Dixon,  John   75 

Dodge,  John  T   32 

Dodge,  William  E   47 

Dodge,  William,  Jr  32 

Donaldson,  Mrs.  H.  H   67 

Doscher,  Claus   79 

Doty,  George  H  376 

Dougherty,    Daniel  287 

Doughty,  F.  E  371,  372 

Douglas,  Stephen  A  303 

Douglass.  W.  H   79 

Douglass.  William  398 

Dowllng,  J.  W  371,  372 

Downing,  A.  J   66 

Downing.  B.  W  148 

Drexzel.  Rosanna  175 

Driggs.   Edmund   88 

Driggs.  Silas  W  79,  85S,  88* 

Driggs,  Marshall  S  79,  88.  107 

Du  Bois,  Viola  C  384 

Dumond,  Harmanus  311 

Dumond,  Katrina  S  311 

Dunham.  Carroll  373,  374,  382 

Dunne,   Desmond   79 

Dunnell,  Henry  Gale  370 

Dunton,  Candidate  176 

Durrie,  G.  B  372 

Dutcher.  Benjamin  C  370 

Dutcher,  DeWitt  P  144 

Dutcher.  Jessie  Ruth  144 

Dutcher,  Malcolm  B  144 

Dutcher.  Edith  May  144 

Dutcher,  Elsie  Rebecca  144 

Dutcher.  Eva  Olive  144 

Dutcher,  S.  B....47,  76.  110,  127.  141§ 

143*.  144.  155 

Dwight.  Edward  F  235 

Dwight.  Theodore  W  178,  239,  274,  312 

Dyke,  Norman  S  375 

Dykeman.  William  N  101 

Dykman,  Mr  108 

E 

Eager,  Thomas  P  106 

Earle,  Ferdinand  P  146 

Eastman,  Cora  C  158 

Eastman,   Eliza  148 

Eastman,  H.  G  158 

Eastman.  Henry  W  147,  148 

Eaton,  Alonzo  K  391 

Eaton,  J.  Albro  378,  389§,  391* 

Eaton,  Janet  Hall  391 

Eaton,   John  391 

Eaton,  Sherburne  B  235 

Ebbets,  A  110 

Eckford,    Henry  123 

Eden.   Samuel  378 

Edgerton,  W.  P  ,395 

Edson,  Mrs.  Benjamin  378 

Edson,    Franklin   56 

Edwards.  Laura   54 

Bgan,  Charles  C  255 

Ehrlich,  Simon  M  231 

Eiman.    Ferdinand  317 

Elbertse,   Reyer  320 

Elebash,  C.  S  371 

Elliott.  Charles  S  402 

Elliott.  J.  B  377.  378 

Elliott,  John  384 

Ellsworth,   Senator  T.  E  150 

Elmendorf,  Conrad  Van  296 

Elmendorf.  Florence  W  290 

Embury.  Ann  M  278 

Embury.  Clarence  U  278 

Emerson.  William  355 

Bmott,  James  227,  274 

English,    Caroline  307 

Eno.  John  C  347 

Esterbrook.  W.  W  115 

Evans,  Fred  H   79 

Evans.  Melinda  J   98 

Evans.  Susan  E  396 


.  Will 


1  M..47,  : 


I,  211*,  213J, 


292 


F 

Fancher,  E.  L  m 

Farmer.  George  291 

Parrar.  J.  M  16J 

Parrington,   Harvey   48 

Parwell,  John  V  235 

Fassett.  J.  Sloat  78.  116 

Peeny,  John  L  1738,  176* 

Fellows.  John  R  292,  296 

Fen  ton,  Reuben  E  247,  261 

Field,  Cyrus  W  48 

Field,  D.  D  200,  206,  208*,  209| 

Pish.  Hamilton  112 

Fish,  James  D  335 

Fisher,   Alderman  48 

Fisher,  George  H   79 

Pishef.  Maria  L   75 

Pish-Fleckles,  Mary  37« 

Fiske,  E.  Rodney  377,  378 

Fiske,  William  M.  L  376,  379,  392 

Pitch,  Ashbel  P  127,  342,  365 

Fitch,  Bbenezer  R   65 

Fitch,  Marianne   65 

Fithian,  Freeman  J  106 

Fitzgerald,  Edward  J  341 

Flanlgan,   William   79 

Fleming,   L.   M  379 

Flower,  Anson  R   78 

Flower,  John  D   78 

Flower,  Nathan  Monroe   77 

Flower.  RosweU  P  27,  53,  77*,  110, 

191,  228,  270,  371 

Folger,  Robert  B  369 

Forbes,  Sarah  361 

Ford,  Harriet  D  315 

Poster,  Walter  J  312 

Foulds,  Laura  F  377 

Fowler,  Milton  A  224 

Fox,  George  L   76 

Fralich.  W.  G  371 

Fralich.  W.  G  372 

Francis.  John  W  338 

Franke,  Henry   79 

PYansecky,  Socialist  177 

Frazer,  F.  M  372 

Freeman.   Alfred  370 

Fremont.  John  C  247 

Friedman,  Amanda  285 

Frltsche.   Candidate  176 

FYothlngham.  James  47 

Fuller.  Gardner  315 

Furber.  Arthur  248*.  257| 

Furgueson,  Cornelius,  Sr  181 

Furgueson,  Cornelius,  Jr  179§,  181* 

Furlong,  Charles  A  251 

Furlong,  Charles  Harman  248 

Furlong,  Henry  J  248*,  249§,  327 

G 

Garfield,  James  A  115,  153,  270 

Garretson,  Garret  1  147 

Garretson,  Garret  J.  127.  135§,  147*,  148,  355 

Garrison,  J.  B  372 

Garritsen,   Martin  147 

Gass,  Frank  182*,  183§ 

Gaynor,  Kendrlck  K   80 

Gaynor,  William  J.. 76,  77,  79,  80*,  81§, 

90,  99,  172,  175 

Genet,  Henry  W  334 

George.  Henry  138,  171 

Gerard,  James  W  334 

Gerritsen,  Gerrit  147 

Gibb,    John   79 

Gibbs,  Fred  S  69*,  715 

Glbbs,  Lucius  S   69 

Gifford,  Livingston  231 

Gilbert,   Mary  287 

Gill,  Charles  118 

Gilmore,  Q.  A  140 

Gilroy,  Thomas  F..127,  139*,  149.  153, 

154,  155,  175,  188 

Given.  J.  B  376.  377 

Glardon,  Edouard  343 

Gleason,  P  J.. 110,  112,  127,  133*  155, 

167,  171 

Godwin,  James  H   48 

Goebel,  ex-Senator  231 

Goldthwalt-.  Miss  252 

Goodier,    Ida  137 

Goodrich,  William  W  47,  186 

Gordon,  Samuel  311 

Gottsberger.  Francis  341 

Gould.  George  304,  308,  348 

Gould,  Helen  304 

Goundie,  W.  T   79 

Governors  of  New  York   12 

Grace.  William  R   69 

Grady,  Thomas  F  103§,  105,  106*,  244 

Graham.  David,  Jr  292 

Graham,  James   14 

Graham^  John  .292 


Granger,  John. 
Grant,  Frederi 
Grant.  Hugh  J. . 


Hendrix,  Joseph  C. . 


Gray.'  John"  F . .' . .' .' . . .' . . .  .'369.  370,  373] ' 381  Hfcl^ ,  _ 
Greacen.    Walter.  353  Higgins, 


J07,  333    Hess.  John  166    Jesup.  Morr 

8*,  119§    Hewitt,   Abrara  S  56.  93    Jetter,  Fanr 


Green.  Abby  Louis.  

Green,  Andrew  H..22*,  23§,  25, 


Higley,  Henrj- 


1  Li  260§.  262«  Jot 


Hill,  Adam.. 
Hill,  John  L. 

295    Hill,  Nicholas    . 

252   Hillhouse,  Harriet  331  Johnst 

87    Hills,  Arthur  T  372  Johnst 

252    Hills,  Mrs.  James  E  376  Johnst 

!53§    Hilton,  Henry  335  Jones. 

"■  Mathew   79  * 


..375.  376.  393§.  397» 


Fred  W  107,  175    Jones.  Samuel.. 


Green,  Nelson  W  252  Hi 

Green.  Samuel  406  Hi 

Green,  Thomas  252  Hi 

Greenfield.  George  J  575.  59»,  111    Hirshfield,  '  Aaron"      . '.  '. '.  '.  '. '. '.     .  '. '.  ! .' .'  .'262 

Greenfield,  John   59   Hlrshfleld,  Rachel  263 

Greenfield.  John  V   59    Hiscock,  PYank  282 

Gnggs  Rufu3  T.   79    Hoadley.  George  281 

Gr inne  11   John  C   79    Hoagland,  Mrs.  John  377 

GH=wnM    T?H„,.H  o,.^    Hobby.  Theodosia 

Alfred  C... 

' 

Grout!  Ed  ward  M.  79, 


K 


_   356  Kamping. 


Guernsey,  Egbert.  Jr. 


Holm.  Charles  F  265*.  2G7S   Keep.  Hen: 


Keenholtz.  Assemblym 


Guernsey.  John  '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'..'.'.392  Homan's 

Gumbleton,  Henry  A  255».  2575  w^JI^^^f' 


W.  F.. 

.  Sheppard.. 


Hopper.  Magnus  T. . 


Kellogg 


Gunning,  Thomas. 

Gunnison.  Herbert  F  166    Hop'per.  fhSmas 

HHorley'.  Thomas  R 
Horn.  Eleanora  I  

Hackett,  Charles  W...^  150   Hornblower.  Joseph  C  266  Kent. 


Kellogg.    Frederick   R. . 


l*.  357§  Kenna,  John  E. . 
 296  Kennedy.  John  J 

Hadden,'  Cromwell.  .7.7.'.' !  70    Hornblower'.  William  'b'. '. '.  ' '.235,"2Q6'',"26-^  Kent!  W 

Hadlock.  Albert  E  146   Horsmanden,  Judge   205  Kenyon 

Haffen.  Louis  F  1735.  175'    Horton.  G.  B   79  Ketchum 

Hahnemann.  Samuel  Ch.  Fr  368,  370   Hosack.  David  369  Ketchum. 

Hnio     Matthew  269    Hottenroth,  Adolph  C  183§    185*  Kieft  Williar 


Horton,  G.  B ...  .Tr! !!;!!!!;!;!!!!!!!!  ;"79  Kerchum.^^exar 

Halifax,  ii'rd  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  !205    Houghton,  'b.  "l.         '. '. '. '. ! ! ! ! .' '. .  ^376  Kl'ers'tede!' jfans 

George  H  247  " 


Houghtoi 


lall,  Asa  

Hall,  Charles  H   _„   _..  _ 

Hall,  Elizabeth  A  106   Hourigan,  John, 


Hall,   

Hamersley,  Andi...  „  ,  ^^.^   . 

Hammerstein.  Oscar                               355  How.  F. 

Hamilton.  Alexander  2035,  205,  232.  342  Howard. 

Hamilton.  John  L                               52  70  Howard,  v/. 

Hamilton.    Llbbie  401    Howell.  Isaac  

Hamilton,  Robert  R                                335  Howland,  Henry.. 

Hamlin,  Lois  B  !    156  Howland,   Susan  I 

Hancock,  Theo.  B  127    i37»    155  Hubbard.  Edith  R 

Hanford.  Maria  U  .'  !.377  Hubbard,  Franklin 


101    Houghton,  H.  C  S71,  372  Kimball.  John  W. . 

"■"  '  '       '  ■   341,  342  Kimball.   Sumner  1 

.  47   fiouae,  a.  a...   383  Kimball.  William  A 

2575   Houston.  John  W  235   King,  Georj,e   


..75.  277*.  2795 


King.  Rufus  . 


Hanley,  W.  W 


   ,„   Hubbard.  Gardi 

Hanneman,  Louis  .256*    2605    Hubbard.  H.  B   

Hansmann.  Carl  A  '.    235   Hubbard.  Isaac  G  266  Ki: 


KirchofT.  Charles  . 


Klssam.  Benjamin  T.. 


Hardcastle.  Joseph   340  •    - 

Harlock.  Waldegrave  329§    332*    Hubbard,  Julia... 

Harned.  Reuben  !..413    Hubbard,  Thomas. 


Harney!  Henrj-. . 


Hubbell, '  Chief  JustiC( 


  „   j^^^    Hudson.  Hen 

Harris,  Zenia   370    Hudson.  Lilia 

Harrison.  Benjamin.  .116.  125    I'sV  "  177'  - 


Koehler.    J.  F  

Koerke.  Herman  F  

Kruger    Mrs.  Frederic  M.. 


Hughes.  Charles  B. . 


Hart.  Mrs.  William   378  Hull.  Mrs.  Calvi 

Haskins,  Charles  W.  .338,.  341,  342. '355*.  Hull.  Maria  E.. 

357s  Hull.    Minerva. . 

Haskins.   John   355  Hull.  Solomon  L 

Haskins.  Waldo  B  !!!!!355 

Hartung.  William  L... 

Hastings.  George  S   -^  —  -rT  7^-^-— 

Havemeyer,  William  F    48  Husted.  Thom, 


Hays!  David;  .r.-.V.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-rrr.!.^  i'nt 


,  Aurelius  B. ..'.!..!!.!..'...!....!  .3.";i5    Lacombe.  Corporatio 


Lamb,  John. . 


18    Lambert.  ' 

 332   La  Monte. 

'.'.3b4!'328    Lang.  Max 


Lardner.  Willie 


Lauterbach,  Edward.. 


Le  Barbier.  Henry.. 


..150.  281*.  2835 


Healey.   David   110 

Healey,  James  B  ! 7q 

Heasty.  Irwin  H   79 

Hedden.  Collector   ' " '  70 

Hegeman    Sarah  !!!!!!!  !262 

Heins.  John  

Helfrich.  C.  H  


Jackson,    John  311    Lehrenkrauss.  J.. 

Jackson.  Robert  311    Le  Jeune.  Capel  E 

..311    Leverich.  Daniel 


Helm,  D.  M.. 


.  .281    James.  Duke  of  York 


,   Thomas  L. . 


Helmuth.  Wililam"  fod,'  Sr." . . 371.  372.  395« 

Helmuth,  William  Tod,  Jr.371,  372,  395,  Jarvis.     

396«  Jay,  John  

3d  396  JefCery,  George  C.  .3 


Helmuth.  Will 


o*.  2715  :  

  79  Levy,  Jeffersoi 

196,  311  Lewis,  Eugens 

 270  Lewis,  Francii 

576,  377  Lewis,  Morgan 

035,  205  Lewis,  Republi 


Lexow.  Clarence.  .84,  99,  101,  102,  103§, 

105»,  112,  150 

Llebman,  David   79 

Liebman,  Herman  12G 

liiebman,  Louis  79,  126* 

Liebold.   Dr  a«3 

Lines,  Mar>'  L  378,  ^77 

Lincoln,    Abraham.. 74,    128,    140,  247, 

273,  303,  332 

Llnd&ley,  Ira  M  391 

Linton,  EMward  F  62,  60*,  111,  188 

Lister,  Arlli.e  E  315 

Litchfield,  D.  D   47 

Llttlejohn,  A.  N  377 

Livingston,  Brockholst  2u5 

Livingston.  Edward  205 

Livingston,   Peter  205 

Livingston.  Philip  256 

Livingston,    Robert  205 

Livingston,  William  255 

Lockman,  Belle  S  396 

Lockman,  John  T  396 

Logan,  Seth  S  3;i3 

Logan,  Walter  S  333 

Longman,  Walter   79 

Longstreet,  General  James   54 

Loomis.  J.  H  341,  342 

Lord,  Chester  S  342 

Lord,   Samuel  392 

Lossing,  Benson  J  224 

Lossing,  Ophelia  224 

Loughran,  Daniel  S   79 

Loughran,  John   79 

Louis  le  Gros   28 

Love,  William  L  378 

Low,  A.  A  101,  137 

Low,   Seth  127,   137*,   149,   153,  155, 

166,  171,  344,  292 

Lowrey,  C.  J   >7 

Lozler,  Clemence  414 

Luckey  David  B  287 

Ludlow,  Judge  205 

Lutze,  F  H  379 

Lynch,  J.  D   88 

Lynch.   James  T  IJO 

Lyon,  Mary   65 

Lyon,  Mi-s.  Williaii  H  37,-s 

M 

MacCorkle,  James  285 

MacCorkle,  John  W  285 

MacCorkle,  Walter  L  2708,  285* 

MacCorkle,  William  H  285 

MacCulloch,   George  P . ............... .28li 

MacCulIoch,  Mary   2SH 

Macdowal,  Dr  251 

Macrae,  Farquhar  J  341 

Macy,  Charles  S  371,  372 

Mallissey,   Thomas  333 

Malone,   Rev.   Sylvester  342 

Man.  Albon  P  239,  334 

Manheim,  Julius   7» 

Mann.  Eva  335 

Manning.  David  F   79 

Manvel.  Fred  C  339.  341.  3578,  359* 

Mapes,  James  J   55 

Marcellus,  Mrs.  J.  L  376,  377 

March,  James  E  124*  124§ 

Marean   Josiah  T  79.  183§'.  186* 

Marin.  John  C  348,  349 

Marshall,  William  47 

Martin,  Mrs.  C.  C  376,  377 

Martin,  Ella  M  376,  377 

Marline,  Randolph  B  . .  "  70 

Martineau,  Catherine  S  376 

Mason.  Isaac   70 

Massena,  Andre  323 

Massena.  Irene  Le  323 

Massey.    Marcellus   47 

Mather.  Cotton  252 

Matthews.  Azel  D   80 

Matthews.  Fred  L   79 

Matthews.  James... 77.  79,  80*.  818,  88,  00 

Matthews.  Mr  I1O8 

Mattocks,  Mary  C  .286 

Maxwell,    Joseph  232 

Maxwell,  W.  H   110 

May,  Moses   76 

Maynard,  Isaac  H  266 

Mayors  of  Brooklyn   15 

Mayors  of  Long  Island  City   17 

Mayors  of  New  York   12 

McAdam,  David  285 

McAdam,  Thomas  285* 

McBride,  E.  L  371 

McCall,  John  A.,  Jr  359 

McCann.  Thomas    79 

McCarren.  P.  H   77 

McCarthy.  Florence   247 

McCarthy.  John  H  168 

McClelland,  Charles  P  52,  61* 

McCullough,  John  G  359 

McCunn,    Judges  334 

McDonald,  Albert  G  101.  109 

McDougal,  Charles  332 

McDougal,  Josephine  332 


McDowell,  George  W  372 

McElroy,  Samuel   47 

McEntee.  Mary  S   60 

McGibbon.   Brownell  339 

McGrath.  M.  J  109 

Mcintosh,  Bes.sie  277 

Mcintosh,   John  B  277 

McKane,  John  T  80,  172 

McKelvey,   John  J  286',  289§ 

McKelway,  St.  Clair  109.  167 

McKeon.  John  105,  290 

McKeon.  John  S  166 

McKlnley,   William  78.   140,  178,  296 

McKoon.  D.  D  286*  289§ 

McKoon,  D.  G  287 

McKoon,  James   286 

McLaren.   James   79 

McLaughlin,  R  338 

McLear,  George   248 

McLeer,   General   80 

McMahon,  James  79,  81S,  83*,  90 

McMahon,  P.  H   79 

McMurtie,  Henry  398 

.MoNamee.    James  359 

McNulty.  Peter  H  79.  85§.  89* 

McOwen.  Anthony  187*.  189§ 

McPherson,  General   243 

McQuaid,  William  A  300 

McVeagh,  Wavne  270 

Mc Vicar,  John  A  370 

Meachem,  Miss  E  377 

Meade.  Abraham  B  182 

Meade,  Clarence  W  69,  179§,  182* 

Meade,  Daisy  M   69 

Megapolensis,  Dominie  367 

Melville,   Henry  287*,  289S 

Melville,  Josiah  H  287 

Memminger,  Charles  G   54 

Merrill,  Edward  B  359 

MeiTltt,  Edward   79 

Miller.  Abbie  344 

Miller,  Charles  R   47 

Miller,  George  M  288* 

Miller,  Hoffman  288 

Miller,  Horace  A   47 

Miller.  Jacob  W  144,  288 

Miller.  William  T  344 

Miner,  Edwin  375 

Minuit.  Peter.... 11.  156,  192,  193,  318,  366 

Mirlck.  W.  C  338 

Mlrrielees.  Miss  A.  K  376 

Mitchell,  Charles  E  328 

Mitchell.   District  Attorney  349 

Mitchell.  Emma  Henry  288 

Mitchell,  James  B  288 

Mitchell,  Peter  240 

Mitchell,   Richard  H  288*,  289§ 

Moffat.  J.  L  375 

Moffatt,  Mrs.  R.  C  376 

Moger.  W.  H  ,   79 

Momeyer,   A.  W   79 

Moony,  Leonard  79.  89*.  91§ 

Moon.  W.  Willett  378.  393§,  401* 

Moore,  Harrison  S  127,  148*.  155 

Morgan,  Charles  N .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.291'.  '293§ 

Morgan,   B.    D  291 

Morgan,  George  E  291 

Morgan.   James  291 

Morgan.  Rollin  M  291 

Morgan,  William  F  291 

Morris,  George  P  392 

Morris,   Gouverneur  31,  205 

Morris,   Robert  205 

Morse,    Ethelinda  123 

Morse.  J.  B  123 

Mortimer,  Benjamin  278 

Morton,  Daniel  0  112 

Morton.   George  112 

Morton.    Jacob  205 

Morton,  Levi  P.. 77.  102.  112*.  113§.  126, 
127,  146,  148,  150,  163,  157,  231,  270,  347 

Moszkowskl,  Composer  122 

Mott,  Valentine  392 

Moulton,  George  D  379 

Muhle'man.  Maurice'  l!  !  1 !! .'  .343 

Muncle.  Edward  H  401*,  403§ 

Muncie.  Libble  H  401*.  4038 

Munro.  R.  F  338 

Murray,   George  312 

Murray.  Malmee  S  312 

Murray.  William  311 

Mynderse.  Carrie  A   69 

N 

Nadal.  Bernard  H  291 

Nadal.  Charles  C  291*.  293§ 

Nelson,    William  125 

Nesmith.  Nancy  287 

New   Erastus  181 

New.  Mrs.  Tobias  376 

Newman.   Assemblyman  110 

Nlcode.  Composer  122 

Nicoll.  De  Lancey  286 

NIcolls.  Richard  11.  195,  311 

Nixon,    Martha  383 

Nolte,  Frederick  W  269 

418 


Morris.  John  B  

^^T:^:.^:.'::::::-'.'::::::^:^ 
O 

Oakley,  Mrs.  Charles  M  377 

Oakley.  George  W   79 

O'Brien,  Agnes  

O'Brien.  James  A  281 

O'Brien.  Joseph   79 

O' Byrne  John  219 

O'Conneil,  John  J  251,  327 

O'Connor   J.  T  371,  372 

O'Conor,  Charles.  .188,  206*.  209§,  ^211,^^^ 

O' Conor.   Mary  E  '■  ■  67 

Offerman,  Henry  „79 

Ogden,  B.  G  372 

Ogden,  Julia  G  312 

Ogden.  Samuel  G  

Ogden,  William  B  27,  66 

O' Grady.  James  M.  E  105,  150 

Olcott.  William  M.  K   -299 

Oliver.  Francis  V.  S  292*.  2935 

Oliver.  James  292 

Olmsted.  P.  L   b» 

§l^niex.'E!'".;v.r.;:-.:::-.:::::::76; 

Ornisby.  Josephine  A  -191 

Osgoodby,  Alfred  B  

Ostrom, ^Horner  I.'. ...'.'.'.'.'. '.'37'2'."im'.  407S 
Ovington.  Miss  I.  H  <i" 

P 

Page    Charles  B  1038,  105,  106* 

Page!  Frederick  P  u-^?^! 

Page,  J.  Seaver  62.  55* 

Page.  Rufus  L  lOo 

Paige.   H.  Worthington  372 

Paine,  H.  M  38. 

Palmer!  George  W  1^3 

Palmer.  J.  B  371 

Palmer.  Walter  C  370 

Palmer.  Warren  B  879 

Park.  Trenor  W  97 

Parker.  Andrew  D....70*.  71},  110,111,  236 

marker    Charles   90 

Parker',  Russell  79,  90*.  915,  HO.  118 

Parkhurst,  C.  H  .101 

Parsons.  Charles  M  295*.  2975 

Parsons,  Edward  L  334 

Parsons,  John  E  239,  334* 

Parsons,  Lujretia  115 

Parsons,  Samuel,  Jr   66 

Partridge,  Josiah   79 

Patterson.  A.  S  341 

Patterson.  Mrs.  Charles  J  377 

Patterson.  Samuel  D  343 

Peak,  William  N  opp.  1225,  125* 

Peale,  Rembrandt  393 

Pearsall.  William  S  371 

Pearson,  Alexander   79 

Pease.  C.  E  .372 

Peck,  Myron  H  315 

Peckham,  Wheeler  H  286 

Pelxotto,  Jullth  262 

Penny,   Joseph  206 

Penny.  Rebecca  266 

Peters,  August  W  171*,  1735 

Peters,  Benjamin  L  171 

Phelps.  CD  341 

Philip,  Augustus   28 

PhiUipse,   Frederick   36 

Pickford.  Henry  E   94 

Pierce,  J.  F   47 

Pierce.  W.  1  372 

Pierron.  H.  J  375 

Pierson.  Mrs.  William  D  376 

Pierso^,  W.  H  375 

Pinney.  George  M.,  Sr  145 

Pinney.  George  M.,  Jr.. 127.  135§.  145*. 

148,  149,  153.  154.  155.  235 

Pinney.   Humphrey  146 

Pinto,  F.  E  328 

Piper,  Elwin  S  79,  91§,  93* 

Piper,  Henry  A  338 

Piatt,  Thomas  C  160*,  151§,  153,  282 

Plummer,  Mrs.  Jerome  S  378 

Plympton,  Harry   79 

Poles,  Anna  176 

Polhemus,  Johannes  T  168 

Polk,  James  K  207 

Pollard,  Mrs.  A.  W  377 

Porter.  E.  H  371,  372 

Porter.  David  D   98 

Porter,  John  K   331 

Porter,  Wilbur  F  156 

Powell.  D.  B   79 

Pratt,  E.  H   402 

Preston,  Henry  C  406 

Preston,  Henry  G  406*.  4075 

Pritchard.  Fannie  1  396 

Q 

Quantin.  Henry   90 


Qulncy,  Joslah.. 


Radcliffe,  Jacob    208 

Radnor.  William  H  48 

Randel.  John   31 


Searle.  M.  C  

Searle.  William  S 
Secor,  Horace,  Jr 

Seldl.  Anton  

Selden,  Dudley.. 


 7tt.  94*.  96$,  111  Stewart.  Paul 

1  F  377  Stewart.  Reub 

 382  Stewart  Thor 

 366,  376,  380*,  385§  Stokes.  James 


Rapalje,  Sarah  d. 
Rapalje,  Sarah  . 


Straley.  May  ' 


Shanks,  Sanders. 


Reckett,  Charles 


J.  S.  T  47.  52.  HI*. 

68.  70.  73. 


Shannon,  Rlcht 
■•5?5    .Share,  W.  W. 
Sharp,  Jacob.. 


.  .301§,   304*  Stra 


Renwlck   1T6 

Reyerse,  Adrian   320 

Reynolds,  Cornellf  """ 

Reynolds,  E  

Reynolds,  Mrs. 
Reynolds,  Georg 
Reynolds,  Georg( 


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Reynolds,  George  C  '. . .  lOT  ; 


Shaw,  Mrs. 


Reynolds 

 ,  Addison  G  '  106 

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ards,  Eugene  L.  Jr  296*,  2975 


"Kat".    156  Summ 


Sheldon,  Floyd  P, 
Sheldon.  Henry 


Thomas  G  265    Sumner  Dr.. 


..30i    Shepard,  George  A.. 


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..378,  409»,  411J 


Sherman,  John.. 
Shortt,  William  . 
Sibley,  C.  H.  W 


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:  Talntor,  Giles 
Talmadge,  S. 
Tate.  Henry  " 

I   Taylor.  WiUia 


Roberts,  Candidate  . 
Roberts,  George  H. 
Roberts,  George  W. . 


Slede,  Mrs.  M. 
Slgoumey,  Willi 
SilUnr.an,  Benjji 


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th,    Abel   311  Thon 


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.  103§.  108*.  110 


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Rogan,  John  H  2e6«,  297} 


RoUo,  David   

Romalne.  Benjamin  F  . 
Roosevelt,  Theodore   


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Smith,  Arthur  i 

Smith,  C.  B. .. 

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Smith,  Cyrus  P 

Smith,  Edward 

Smith,  EMwin.. 

Smith,  Gerrit.. 

Smith,  Henry.. 


..341,  S61»,  363§  Thompson. 


Thurber.  Frank  B.  . 
Tledeman.  Chr  G.. 
Tlerney,  John  M  . . .  . 


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Kosenthal,  Alexander 

Rosman.  Robert  

Ross,  James  R.. 


Smith,  Howard  .M   79  Tilt    \ddle  Estel 

Smith,  J.  Condlt  350  Tilton  Theodore 

Smith,  John  S  3018,  308*  Titus   Elizabeth  . 

Smith,  Louise  F  .220  Todd.  James  L.. . 


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Russell,  Leslie  ^ 


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Sackett,  H.  W  

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Sanger,  T.  B. . 


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Southworth.  Harriet  M.. 


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m  idge.  William.. 


..244.  318*.  3218 


Saxton.  Charles  T  

Saxton,  Rufus  

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..413    Turton,  M.  Louise  

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.  .1195,   122*  St 


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..102,  108,  133,  1 


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 166  Vanderbilt.  Com  

 371  Vanderbilt.  Ethellnda. . 

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  79  Vanderburgh.  Federal.. 

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  Richard. . 

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Walker,  Horati 
Walkley,  W.  ' 


Wentworth.   

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West.  Sarah  M  

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Whalen,  John   

Wheeler,  William 
Whipple.  William 

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Walmsley,  Robert  379  Whiten 

Walsh,  James  232  Whltne 


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Wardwell,  Prohibitionist  171 

Waring,  William  H   47 

Warner,  A.  S  378 


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Willcox,  Tho 
Willcox.  Will 


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Waterbury,  Nelr—  ' 


Watson,  James  L.  . 


lerdmg.  Ferdinand.. 


llson.  fcara. . 


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220  Wood,  James  R  

..308  Wood,  Susan  E  

.398  Wood.  William  

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372  Woodhouse.  S.  L.. . . 

'247  Woodruff.  John.... 

2'!5  Woodruff.  Norris  M 

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166  Woodruff.  Timothy  I 

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216  Worthington.  Henry 

109  Worthington,  Roberi 

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571  Wright,  Silas  


.  .opp  122§.  124* 


112.  127.  133*. 


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Talden,  James  ."iSS,  339,  ; 

Yates,  Richard  

Young,  Richard   


Zabrlskie,  David  W  328 

Zabriskie,  Nelson  328»,  329S 

Zogbaum,  Ferdinand  410 

Zogbaum,  Kate  410 


420 


